
Class I _ 

Book i^I_ 

Copyright^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSFE 



THE REAL MORMONISM 

A Candid Analysis of an Interesting but Much 

Misunderstood Subject in History 

Life and Thought 



BY 

ROBERT C. WEBB 



"// has always been a cardinal teaching with the Latter-day 
Saints, that a religion that has not the power to save people 
temporally and make them prosperous and happy here, cannot 
he depended upon to save them spiritually, and to exalt them 
in the life to come. ' ' 

—Joseph F. Smith. 



flew HJorft 

STURGIS & WALTON 

COMPANY 

1916 

All rights reserved 



< I 




Copyright, 1916 
By STURGIS & WALTON COMPANY 



Set up and elecuotyped. Published April, 1916 






V- 



APR 13 1916 



§>CIA427644 



TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS MEMORY OF 
JOSEPH SMITH 

THE " MORMON PROPHET," 

who, in spite of the evil character and corrupt motives 
attributed to him by enemies, critics and fault-find- 
ers, stands revealed to the candid student of his 
career as an honest man, a deep thinker, a 
powerful leader, and a pre-eminent re- 
former, worthy to be classed with the 
great men of history, and deserv- 
ing the respect and at- 
tention of honest and in- 
telligent minds 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

SECTION I — MORMONISM AND ITS FOUNDER. 
CHAPTER I 



THE MORMON PROBLEM 



PAGE 



Origin of the name Mormonism — A large subject — Justice de- 
manded — Traditional prejudice and injustice — Anti-Mormon 
persecutions — A timely warning — Judge J. S. Black on "political 
piety" — Are Mormons champions of American institutions? — 
Hon. A. B. Carlton on injustice to the Mormons — Charles Ellis on 
the secret of Anti-Mormon hatred — The claims of Mormonism — 
" Apostasy " and " restoration " — Joseph Smith as a " reformer " — 
His " bad character " — Joseph Smith and Mormonism deserve can- 
did treatment 3-9 

CHAPTER II 

THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH 

" Good and evil spoken of " — An obscure origin and vast achieve- 
ments — Personality of the Prophet — " Most powerful influence of 
the nineteenth century " — " Helpless before the puzzle " — The 
traditional " affidavits " — Misfit sins — Slanderous rural gossip — 
No serious accusations made — Supposed alcoholic addiction — 
Joseph Smith's evident sincerity — His early religious unrest — " If 
any of you lack wisdom" — His first vision — Declared "all of the 
devil " — Character of persecution — Visions and theophanies in 
human tradition — Not incredible — " Divers temptations offen- 
sive in the sight of God " — " Without the assisting grace of the 
Savior" — Early errors of saints and Church fathers — The first 
vision of Moroni — The Book of Mormon promised .... 10-24 

CHAPTER III 

THE COMING-FORTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON 

Theories on the origin of the Book — " Religious portions " 
added? — Smith's account of the origin of the Book — Golden 
plates delivered to him — Severe persecutions — Martin Harris 
visits Prof. Anthon — Anthon's statements — No origin indicated 
by him — Translating the sacred plates — Harris's defection — The 
Prophet chastised — Various suppositions — A theory of the 
"translating" by a Mormon — Its psychological consistency — 
Anti-Biblical methods used against the Book of Mormon — Unfair 
and disingenuous 25-36 



iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER IV 

THE BEGINNINGS OF MORMONISM 



PAGE 



The plates of Mormon shown to the three witnesses — Their 
" testimony " — Not accomplices in fraud — Apostasy and reconcili- 
ation — Oliver Cowdery — Martin Harris — David Whitmer — 
Whitmer's epitaph and firm testimony — Hypnotism or stage-craft? 
— " Rational " explanations inconclusive 37-43 

CHAPTER V 

JOSEPH SMITH AS THE FIRST PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 

Smith's history written only by enemies or adherents — Prob- 
lematical situations — Restoration of the Priesthood — John the 
Baptist a ministering angel — Smith's unadorned narrative — Cow- 
dery's repetition of the story — The apparent conviction of Smith 
and Cowdery — The organization of the Church — Beginnings of 
Mormon persecutions — First recorded trial of Joseph Smith — A 
travesty of justice — Steady growth of the Church — The doctrine 
of "gathering" — Settlement of Kirtland, Ohio — The perfection 
of human society — The Order of Enoch — Perfecting the organ- 
ization of the Saints — " Correct principles " — Consecrated prop- 
erty and stewardship — Failure of the " Kirtland boom " — Tem- 
poral and spiritual prosperity — Educational interests — Settle- 
ments in Missouri — Wanderings of the Mormons — Heroic death 
of David W. Patten — The emergence of Brigham Young — His 
law of mutual helpfulness — Strong men around the Prophet — 
Smith overcomes the mob — He rebukes his jailers — He heals 
the sick at Commerce — A rheumatic arm " electrified " — Smith's 
geniality — A good-natured debater — "A fine-looking man" — 
A great mystic — Direct revelations from God — " Not these cheap 
and wretched properties " — " Some mastering force of the man " 

— Personal kindness and good will 44-67 

CHAPTER VI 

JOSEPH SMITH AS LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 

The founding of Nauvoo — " Concocting " the Nauvoo charter 

— Charter passed unanimously by the state legislature — Voted for 
by Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln — Gov. Ford's his- 
tory of the episode — Possible motives back of the charter — The 
call to Zion — Severe ordinances passed against crime — Edict of 
toleration to all — First effective temperance measure in history 

— Suppression of vice and disorder — "The Government of God" 
— 'Benevolent intentions of the Saints — The unifying power of 
Mormonism — Persecutions attributed to lack of faith and obedi- 
ence — The Female Relief Society — The first known benevolent 
organization for women — " An empire-founding religion " — Debts 
to the Church forgiven — The "jubilee" in 1880 — Gospel of 
brotherhood and mutual helpfulness 68-86 

CHAPTER VII 

JOSEPH SMITH AS A STATESMAN AND REFORMER 

Live questions of the day — Smith's plan for abolishing slavery 

— Anticipating Ralph W. Emerson's recommendation by 11 years 



TABLE OF CONTENTS v 

PAGE 

— Sad that Smith and Emerson were not heard — Appealing to the 
federal government — Humiliating comment on governmental effi- 
ciency — Partisan politics and corruption — Smith candidate for 
President — His " Platform " on the powers and policy of the gov- 
ernment — An idealistic document — Compared to the idealism of 
Jefferson and Paine — Accepted at face value by saner portion of 
the public — Comments by the press — " The sine qua non of the age 

to our nation's prosperity" 87-98 

CHAPTER VIII 

JOSEPH SMITH IN HIS PERSONAL ASSOCIATIONS 

Unfailing ability to make enemies — Anti-Smith bitterness — 
Evil character of many of Smith's enemies — Great ability, strong 
will and tendency to antagonize associates — Thomas B. Marsh and 
the beginning of the " Danite " deluson — Orson Hyde supplements 
Marsh's "testimony" — A scandalous and wicked procedure — 
Hundreds of lives endangered by a silly lie — Schuyler Colfax and 
others accept the statements later discredited by their authors — 
The truth on the " Danite " hoax — Marsh and Hyde both reunite 
with the Church and die in full membership — Joseph Smith de- 
serves credit for real greatness — An important figure in history 99-104 

SECTION II — THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM. 
CHAPTER IX 

MORMONISM THE EXPONENT OF EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY 

An effective scheme of social regeneration must be based on re- 
ligion — Religion demands a thorough organization — Coordina- 
tion of individual wills for the common good — Christ demanded 
temporal regeneration as well as promising salvation in the world 
to come — The influence of Buddhism — The Catholic Church and 
the ideal of overcoming the world — The " reformers " attempted 
to promote personal righteousness — " Salvation by faith " — The 
inexcusable character of social difficulties — The significance of 
Mormonism — Its principles of organization destined to wide ac- 
ceptation — Dispensing with professional preachers — First step in 
abolishing artificial class distinctions — Mormonism and coopera- 
tion — "The demand of the ages" — The United Order and per- 
sonal stewardships — Religious significance of the Order — Rules 
for the Order — "You are to be equal" — Worthlessness^ of cur- 
rent " benevolence " and " charity " — > The law of tithing — Its 
antiquity — As practiced by Latter-day Saints — Missionary work, 
temple building, community labors, unrequited in money — The 
vital efficiency of Mormonism 107-118 

CHAPTER X 

MORMONISM AS THE INSTRUMENT OF TEMPORAL SALVATION 

Mormonism versus Fourierism — The Icarian colony at Nauvoo 

— Reactionism and social reform — "The coming slavery"— So- 
cialism assumes a non-existent " goodness " in man — Socialist 
failures in Paraguay — " Super-rational sanction for conduct " 

— Social "solutions" and the treatment of disease — Character 



vi TABLE OF CONTENTS 

, , . , , PAGE 

and function of religion — The methods of Mormonism — Brigham 
Young attempts to restore the United Order — His " land law of 
modern Israel " — His " temporal activities " opposed — Home in- 
dustry a " watchword in Utah "— The faith and determination of 
Brigham Young — The beginnings of irrigation— Colonies founded 
by the Church — Sugar industry introduced — Silk manufacture at- 
tempted — Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution — Perpetual 
Immigrating Fund Company— Building the Union Pacific Rail- 
road—Mormon colonization record — The Dry Gulch District — 
The inestimable value of cooperation — "The bond of religion 
greater than all others" — A new, a worthy and highly necessary 
order of practical well-doing — Church money given, not invested 
— The authorities "merely wasting their funds"? — A grudging 
endorsement — The Church buys up irrigation company bonds — 
The Hawaiian colony in Utah — The Government should "assist 
them in every way possible " — The empire-building march of Mor- 
monism — Individual salvation the aim of the Gospel .... 1 19-144 

CHAPTER XI 

THE PRACTICAL WORKINGS OF MORMONISM 

The interests of the individual considered — Needs looked into 
and provided for — Bulk of beneficences for aged, infirm and 
widows — Methods of providing employment for the needy — Lo- 
cating families newly arrived in Zion — Persistent efforts for the 
unemployed by the Presiding Bishopric — Brigham Young's ef- 
forts to provide employment — The reorganization of society for 
a better efficiency — Recognized by the Mormon Church . . . 145-150 

CHAPTER XII 

THE MORAL RECORD OF THE MORMON PEOPLE 

Mormon moral character misrepresented — Mormon enthusiasm 
for temperance — Reverence for the "Word of Wisdom" — Close 
organization conducive to temperance and personal probity — 
Never invited to " have a drink " — Mormons and " Gentiles " com- 
pared — Educational advantages of the Mormon organization — 
Saloons in the Mormon states — Voting on the local option law 
— • Statistics on police offenses and misdemeanors — Only $jj Utah 
felons in 16 years — Statistics on commonest crimes — On crimes 
of violence and impurity 151-162 

SECTION III — THE TEACHINGS OF MORMONISM. 
CHAPTER XIII 

THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 

A consistent body of doctrine — Based upon a thorough belief in 
revelation — Avoids " curious questions " — The restoration of the 
Gospel — An old effort — Follows the Bible literally — " Gifts of 
the Spirit " — " The Spirit of prophecy " — Prophetic office ex- 
plained — Joseph Smith a "wanton gospeler" — Direct communi- 
cation with God — Theology the " God-science " — Mormon doc- 
trines mystical — The proper " endowments " of believers — A 
system for the "wayfaring man, though uninstructed " — Mor- 
mons "too primitive" — "Literalism" and " materialism "—" All 



TABLE OF CONTENTS vii 

PAGE 

spirit is matter " — " Materialism " and intelligible reality — Words 
rather than ideas — Subjective and objective — The Athanasian 
controversy — Theories of Descartes and Spinoza — Berkeley's 
idealism — An " Immaterial spirit " and karma — A philosophical 
whimsey — Two kinds of atheism 165-179 

CHAPTER XIV 

THE MORMON DOCTRINE OF GOD 

The " materialistic " conception — Consistent literalism — A God 
of flesh and bone — The risen Christ — The " express image of his 
person " — God " an exalted man " — " Power to lay down his life 
and take it again " — The eternal drama of redemption — God, gods 
and angels — " As God now is, man may be " — The Holy Spirit, 
" bridge between the human and divine " — ■ The constitution of the 
Godhead — A humanly intelligible doctrine — " The splendid doc- 
trine of anthropomorphism " — " Made in the image of God " . . 180-189 

CHAPTER XV 

THE DOCTRINES OF MAN, OF THE FALL, AND OF THE CHARACTER OF EVIL 

The spirit of man eternal and uncreated — Preexistent in inno- 
cence — " The spirit and the body is the soul " — Reason for human 
incarnation — The embodied soul immortal after resurrection — 
The " great council of the gods " — Preexistence and predestination 

— Freedom of choice unimpaired — The "war in heaven" and 
moral " dualism " — Determinism and free will as reconciled by 
philosophy — Salvation means " to triumph over all our enemies " 
— " No salvation except through a tabernacle " — " Adam fell that 
men might be " — The significance of the fall — Adam the " patri- 
arch" of the human race — Adam and Christ compared — Adam 
the "Ancient of days" — The alleged "Adam-god" doctrine — 
The " patriarchal " concept of the universe — The sin of Adam — 

The need of the atonement emphasized 190-203 

CHAPTER XVI 

THE DOCTRINES OF ATONEMENT, RELIGIOUS DUTY, AND PERSONAL 
RIGHTEOUSNESS 

Explanation of the doctrine of atonement — " Descending below 
all things " to rise above all things — Reasons for the " interven- 
tion" — Adam's sin wiped out — The circuit restored — A man 
must "work out his own salvation" — Faith and personal right- 
eousness — Intrinsic value of good acts not material in this connec- 
tion — Works required to please God, not merely words and pro- 
fessions — Baptism and ordinances essential to highest exaltation 

— The significance of the Church organization — An instrument 
for promoting righteousness — Follows New Testament in em- 
phasizing temporal and social well-being — Lack of organization 
cause of futility of traditional religion — A "sacred system of 
government " must be both temporal and spiritual — The salvation 
of the earth — "Like unto crystal" — Man's place in carrying out 
God's designs for this world by righteousness — Priesthood and 
" God-science " — Temple endowment — The masterpiece of the 
ages — Righteousness, temperance and the Word of Wisdom — 



viii TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Under law or under grace? — The "sin unto death "— " Blood 
atonement" — A scriptural doctrine — The punishment of heresy 

— God's laws thwarted by the man-made laws of the nations of the 
world 204-224 

CHAPTER XVII 

THE DOCTRINES OF RESTORATION, RESURRECTION AND SALVATION 

" Love " and law — The Mormon Prophet a pioneer — The Ever- 
lasting Gospel — The seven dispensations — Dispensation of the 
Fulness of Times — The gathering of the dispersion of Israel — 
Spur to missionary enthusiasm — Salvation for the dead — The 
authorities claimed for the doctrine — The strong appeal made by 
this doctrine — A help to faith in the future life — A new order of 
" universalism " — The three resurrections — The three "glories" 
or " kingdoms " — The Celestial Kingdom — The Terrestrial King- 
dom — The Telestial Kingdom — The sons of Perdition . . . 225-236 

SECTION IV — MORMON MARRIAGE INSTITUTIONS. 
CHAPTER XVIII 

PLURAL MARRIAGE AND THE POSITION OF WOMEN AMONG THE MORMONS 

Doctrine based on revelation — "A stone of stumbling" — A 
" holy order " — Ground of sanctity hard to understand — Means of 
begetting a race of godlike men — An incident in the doctrine of 
" eternal " or " celestial " marriage — Text of the revelation — A 
"social phase" of eminent interest — "Sex problems" of society 

— Extirpation of the social evil — Polygamy and morality — A 
" sad and sickening comment " — Productive of a healthier poster- 
ity — Continence 239-249 

CHAPTER XIX 

WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 

The "downtrodden sisters" of Mormondom — The doctrine 
vitally religious — Arguments in favor — No advantage to men — 
Susa Young Gates on Mormon family life — " The world never saw 
such women before " — " Perfect through suffering " ? — " Higher 
compensations " — " Determine to attain to celestial glory " — " My 
desire for an eternal union with him will be the last wish of my 
mortal life " — Let them " make their prisons large enough to hold 
their wives " also — The Cullom bill denounced by women — " For 
the exaltation of the human family" — "The Lord gave me a 
mother's love for them" — Unfamiliar and noble forms of virtue 

— Peaceful and loving cohabitation of plural wives — " We have 
raised our children together " — " Each contributes to the utmost for 
the support of the family " — " A race of men and women who shall 
live to the age of a tree " — " Tends to virtue, purity and holiness " 
— " Mormon women working grandly on the sex problem " — " Mor- 
mon wives emphatically 'women's rights' women" — "Mormon 
women the happiest in the world " — " We enjoy all the rights and 
know how to use them" — The Mormon women's protest against 
the Edmunds law — " Happy in the consciousness of mutual and 
eternal affection "—" Our grievous offense, so contrary to their 
sinful practices "— Were they happy? —"How is the missionary 

going to begin?"— The love song of a plural wife 250-266 



TABLE OF CONTENTS ix 

SECTION V — THE MORMON ORGANIZATION. 
CHAPTER XX 

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 

PAGE 

The best-known fact about Mormonism — Significance to social 
conditions — Inevitable to the genius of Mormonism — The primi- 
tive Church restored — Two orders of Priesthood — Aaron and 
Melchisedek — " Holy priesthood after the order of the Son of 
God" — All men should hold the priesthood — Priesthood "power 
and authority to act in the name of God " — Lower priesthood an 
"appendage" to the Higher — Grades and dignities in the two 
priesthoods — Teacher and deacon "necessary appendages" — 
Duties of deacons — Of teachers — Of Aaronic priests — Baptism 
administered by Aaronic priests — The bishopric — Presiding 
bishop should be a "lineal descendant of Aaron" — Duties of 
bishops — The dignities of the Higher Priesthood — Quorums of 
all orders — Quorum and society presidencies peculiarly organized 

— The Seventy and their duties — The Twelve Apostles — Three 
quorums of equal authority — A contradiction ? — Popular votes in 
Church government — The First Presidency, its duties and digni- 
ties — President may be impeached — The "stake" and its gov- 
ernment — Quarterly stake meetings — Votes to " sustain " or re- 
ject all officers — Comparison to national government — the ward 
and its organization — Three regularly organized Church courts 

— Total quorum membership 269-295 

CHAPTER XXI 

" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 

Organizations additional to the quorum membership — The 
Women's Relief Society — An efficient charitable organization — 
The Mutual Improvement Associations — History of the Mutual 
Improvement movements — The Sunday School Organization — 
Graded instruction — The Parents' Class — Sunday School mem- 
bership — The Primary Association — The Church Board of Edu- 
cation—History of Mormon education — The Religion Class . . 296-310 

SECTION VI — TRUTH. TUSTICE AND MORMONISM. 
CHAPTER XXII 

ANTI-MORMON ACCUSATIONS 

Anti-Mormonism and the Ninth Commandment — A brief an- 
thology — Mutilated history — An anti-Mormon sermon — The 
Mormons accused of sympathy with Garfield's assassin — The im- 
pending Mormon " rebellion " — Damiens, self-exiled among the 
" moral lepers " — An intemperate and brutal tirade — " Mormon 
women are ripe for rebellion " — " What Utah needs " — Vice advo- 
cated to neutralize Mormon influence — Where the "end justifies 
the means " — " We tell them in all sincerity " — The " civilization " 
from which the Mormons "shrink" — The object to destroy pop- 
ular rule in Utah — "Polygamy" not the real objection against 
Mormonism — The " lust-of -empire " slander — Judge Boreman's 
intemperate harangue — Garfield's reported experiences — Crim- 
inals accused of being Mormons — Vituperation ad absurdum . 313-326 



x TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XXIII 

THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE MORMON AUTHORITIES 

PAOE 

Mormonism occasionally in politics — Explainable on two 
grounds — Wrangles over the Mormon vote in Illinois — " Muck- 
rakers" at work on the "problem" — Pres. Roosevelt's alleged 
agreement with the Church — The charge vigorously denied by 
him — The Mormon Church and Tammany Hall — Hearsay evi- 
dence and wanton gossip — The " dreadful climax " — Nothing po- 
litically worse than is done in all other parts of the country — 
The " bleeding Kansas " fight — The time-honored " Gerry- 
mander "—The Church "Address to the World" (1907)— The 
wails of sectarian missionaries — Bishop Tuttle's circular petition 

— The new " Come over and help us " — The cause of the Ed- 
munds law oppressions — The old " Know-Nothing " spirit ram- 
pant — Corrupt politicians speak of "theocratic polygamy" — The 
Mormon position explained — Superiority of God's laws and dic- 
tates of conscience, old contentions — Utah and Massachusetts Bay 
Colony similarly accused — Governor Morrill's absurd attack on 
the " hierarchy " — Not against popular rule — Religious opposition, 
not objectionable doctrines, the real cause against Mormonism — 
The real " Mormon menace " — No evidence of Mormon " disloy- 
alty " — The proposed constitution for the state of Deseret — Evi- 
dent misrepresentations — Judge Carlton on " Know-Nothing " and 
anti-Mormon agitation — His poem, " The Battle of Louisville " . 327-349 

CHAPTER XXIV 

HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE IN THE MORMON COUNTRY 

Meaning of " Mormon degradation " exhibited — The evils per- 
petrated by fanatics in politics — Activities of unbalanced women 

— Absurd reports on public meetings — Resolutions against perver- 
sions of law adopted by Mormon women — Wives compelled to 
testify against husbands — Women's "Memorial" to Congress — 
The bitter fruits of Tuttle's petition — Utter contempt of human 
rights — " Unlawful cohabitation " not defined — The miserable fic- 
tion of " constructive cohabitation " — The case of Lorenzo Snow 
before the U. S. Supreme Court — Argument by George Ticknor 
Curtis — Judge Boreman's unjust decisions — Mr. Snow impris- 
oned — The new weapon of " segregation " — The real objects of 
the anti-Mormon party — Outline of the Edmunds-Tucker Act — 
Senatorial attacks on the provisions of the bill 350-369 

CHAPTER XXV 

A SHELTER FOR THE " ERRING AND OPPRESSED " 

Absurd charges of "treasonable" and "disloyal" talk — False 
reports of misery, degradation and neglect — Monstrous accusa- 
tions — Categorical denials — " Christian Industrial Home " pro- 
posed — Objections by Mormon women — Touching speech by Gov- 
ernor West — The kind of " home " needed — An imposing build- 
ing—Refuge for "victims of polygamy "— Darnings, mendings, 
cuttings and fittings — Ridiculous stories of "distress" circulated 
by the managers of the " home "— The " home " a failure — Build- 
ing sold at auction 370-377 



TABLE OF CONTENTS xi 

SECTION VII — ANTI-MORMON EXPLANATIONS. 
CHAPTER XXVI 

WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 

PAGE 

Hypothesis of Smith's insincerity untenable — Psychology and 
pathology invoked for this reason — Evidence defective in all par- 
ticulars — Riley's theory unscientific — Ancestral " predispositions " 

— Visions explained as " migraines " — Smith a " magazine " of 
assorted symptoms — Contentions not demonstrated — Symptoms 
doubtful — Migraine and epilepsy — Common aurae of Epilepsy — 
Varieties of Epilepsy — Riley's vague and indefinite case analyzed 

— Mis-quoted " evidences " — " Exhaustion paralysis " — Leading 
symptoms not present — " Epilepsy not a morbid entity " — Epilepti- 
form convulsions might occur in any disease — Smith's " symp- 
toms " perfectly explainable as caused by other conditions than dis- 
ease — Darwin on the symptoms of fear and astonishment — James 
on reflexes produced by emotions — Smith's accounts correct as to 
details — Evidently unaware of the suggestions of disease — Smith 
deprecates " fallings, twitchings," etc., as of religious significance — 
Epilepsy must have been common among ancient saints — Renan 
and Lombroso on St. Paul — " Epileptoid " suggestions from the 
Bible — The persistence of the witnesses — Absurdity of "rational- 
istic" explanations of such matters 381-399 

CHAPTER XXVII 

DID SOLOMON SPAULDING WRITE THE BOOK OF MORMON? 

Substance of the Spaulding theory — Theory first promulgated 
by E. D. Howe — A dramatic "occurrence" — Phenomenal mem- 
ories — Hurlburt visits Spaulding's widow — Alleged " affidavits " 
in support of the Spaulding theory — " Singular unanimity " in re- 
gard to names — "Lost Ten Tribes" — Object of accounting for 
mounds, etc. — " Added religious matter " — Statements certainly in- 
spired — 'The time-honored "character test" — Virtue and long 
memories — The alleged theft of Spaulding's manuscript — A 
manuscript possessed by Sidney Rigdon — "Affidavits" supposed 
to support Rigdon's duplicity — Rigdon evidently interested in 
antiquities and millennarianism — Rigdon's alleged motives — Par- 
ley P. Pratt's alleged part in the plot — Were Rigdon, Smith, Pratt, 
and others, mere imbeciles? — The "mysterious stranger" — Rig- 
don denies the Spaulding theory — Ridiculous charges against 
Smith in the matter — Professed points in common between 
Spaulding's book and the Book of Mormon — Spaulding's only 
known work discovered in 1884 — Utterly unlike Book of Mormon 
in every particular — General account of the book — Evidently 
Spaulding's first literary effort; probably also his only one — No 
probability that he could have improved on it at his age (48 or 49) 

— His formal rejection of Christianity another presumption 
against his authorship of the Book of Mormon — Conclusion to be 
drawn from the evidence is " not proven " 400-426 

CHAPTER XXVIII 

WAS THE BOOK OF MORMON PRODUCED BY "AUTOMATIC WRITING?" 

The theory a good example of the pseudo-scientific — Repeats 
the opinions of Alexander Campbell — Forced arguments — Slov- 



xii TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

enly generalizations on mounds and "caches of arms" — Sources 
suggested in books appearing later than the Book of Mormon — 
Parallel passages with Paine and the Westminster Confession 
supposed to be found — Mormon organization absurdly compared 
with that of Methodism — A "cross-section of his brain" — Sup- 
posed results of "veritable crystal gazing" — Transcript from the 
" plates of Mormon " resembles Hieratic Egyptian — No " signs of 
the Zodiac " and no excerpts from " farmers' almanacs " — Sup- 
posed evidences of "automatism" in this writing — "Automatic 
writing " not entirely incompatible with claims made by Smith him- 
self — Prof. James on case of " automatic writing " — His views on 
the matter — Smith undoubtedly sincerely convinced of the truth of 
the Mormon record — The real reason why Smith has been perse- 
cuted — Calvin, Luther, and other " reformers " regarded as 
" prophets," although not so called — " Test " of truth proposed by 
the Book of Mormon as yet untried by anti-Mormon agitators . 427-440 

Note I — Danites or Destroying Angels 441-443 

Note II — Polygamy and the Jewish Law 443-445 

Selections from the Book of Mormon 445-450 

Index 451-463 



I 

MORMONISM AND ITS FOUNDER 

" If the reader does not know what to make of Joseph Smith, I cannot help him 
out of the difficulty. I myself stand helpless before the puzzle." — Josiah Quincy. 



THE REAL MORMONISM 



CHAPTER I 

THE MORMON PROBLEM 

The name Mormonism is the popular designation for the system 
of religious doctrine and practice founded on the teachings of 
Joseph Smith (1805-1844), who claimed a divinely revealed au- 
thority to restore the Gospel of Christ in its original purity, which, 
as he asserted, had been lost and obscured through centuries of 
apostasy among Christian people. Although not officially recog- 
nized by his disciples — they call their organization the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in distinction from the 
" Former-day Saints," or the Church of the time of Christ's apos- 
tles — the term has the authority of sufficient good usage to war- 
rant us in retaining it, in preference to the longer title. Hence, 
following the rooted habit of over three-score years and ten, we 
will in the present book speak of Mormonism and Mormons, 
without marks of quotation; remarking, however, that no more 
disrespect or opprobrium attaches to the use of these words than 
to that of such analogous epithets as Quakers, Swedenborgians, 
Wesleyans or Papists. 

The title or epithet, Mormon, derives from a prophet and im- 
portant personage of that name, who, as is claimed, lived an- 
ciently on the Ajnerican Continent, and was largely instrumental 
in compiling the records of his people — they were known as 
Nephites — and of God's dealings with them, into the collection 
of documents, now known as the Book of Mormon. This rec- 
ord, inscribed on " plates resembling gold," was, it is claimed, 
delivered to Joseph Smith by an angel named Moroni, who dur- 
ing his earth life was the son of Mormon. Translated by Joseph 
Smith, " through the gift and power of God," it furnishes a 
recognized inspired scripture for the church founded by him. 
Hence his disciples were known, first as " Mormonites," later as 
" Mormons." 



I Mormonism is a system of large things. It is large in claims, 
large in efforts, large in results, large in reputation, and very 

3 



4 THE REAL MORMONISM 

large in importance, if judged by the opposition it has evoked. 
Like the man through whom it had origin, it possesses an indi- 
viduality that is intense and vital: it repels and attracts with 
equal force. One finds difficulty in maintaining a perfectly 
neutral position in treating of its claims and history. 

Like all else in this world, however, both great and small, good 
or evil, it has its own side of the matters with which it is con- 
cerned, and deserves pure, simple justice, if nothing more. But 
justice it has never received. Anti-Mormon agitators seem to 
have been literally blinded to the fact that, when not exaggerating 
weaknesses common to all humanity, they have accused the Mor- 
mons of crimes and vices all but preposterous. The average 
writer on Mormonism and its founder, as if with deliberation, 
has given the worst possible construction to every fact of its 
history, teaching and practice; has greedily accepted and aided 
in the further publicity of all accusations of evil-doing brought 
against this Church and people by their enemies; has accepted 
as sufficient authorities on all Mormon teachings and beliefs the 
statements of persons who, by their own acknowledgment, are 
violently prejudiced — hence liable to misinterpret or distort 
opinions and beliefs; and in no case do we find such writers 
even attempting to understand the Mormon " point of view," in 
order to criticize and condemn, if at all, on a full show of evi- 
dence and with intelligence and righteousness. By such pro- 
cedures on the part of their self-styled " candid critics " Mor- 
monism has been placed in the anomalous position of a cause 
suffering, as it is stated, for the sake of conscience, at the hands 
of those who plead conscience for their violence and injustice; 
and, in the role of a martyr for human liberty, oppressed by 
the people of a nation, which of all others on earth boasts the 
lost proudly of its liberties and toleration. 
From the very moment of its birth, when it had no humanly 
visible prospect of ever being a "menace," as alleged, to any- 
thing, the Mormon Church has been an object of persecution. 
Its success in making converts was the first occasion against it 
on the part of various sectarian missionaries and pastors. Even 
in that day of fierce theological debate these people laid aside 
their internecine strife to make common cause against this new 
opponent, who urged large claims and had the courage of con- 
viction. Their pulpit efforts, undoubtedly redolent of things 
other than " pure theology/' persuaded the populace that the 
Mormons were not only heretics, but also brigands, and the prob- 
able perpetrators of all the thefts and murders, so common to 
the frontier life of the time. Several of these " clergymen," 
notably a certain Bogart, a certain Sashiel Woods, a certain 



THE MORMON PROBLEM 5 

Williams, and a certain Brockman, appeared as active inciters 
and leaders of mobs, which on several occasions inflicted griev- 
ous violence on these people, including even the murder of 
women and children. 

We should remember, however, that both mob violence and 
acrimonious strife were mere commonplaces in the life of the 
times, and were active against others than Mormons, — notably 
against Catholics, Abolitionists, alleged " claim- jumpers " and 
horse-thieves, also against many people innocent of all offense. 
Had the Mormons escaped, we might have credited their im- 
munity to an actual " miraculous interposition.'* That they did 
not escape seems to have been inevitable. 

Mormonism, conspicuously suffering from the baleful effects 
of epidemic hysteria, whether fostered by accredited pulpiteers 
or mere " wanton gospelers," has been the instrument of demon- 
strating that, in spite of our boasted culture and advancement, in 
spite of our intelligence and civilization, the spirit of persecution 
is not yet dead. That similar conclusions have been reached by 
prominent and well-informed people is indicated by the follow- 
ing from a speech of Judge Jeremiah S. Black before the Com- 
mittee on Territories of the United States Senate. 

" By some famous preachers the policy of killing the Mormons by 
wholesale, unless they leave their property, abandon their homes, and 
flee beyond the Union, is openly advocated and apparently concurred in 
with great warmth by congregations supposed to be respectable ; and this 
is accompanied with curses loud and deep upon all who would interpose a 
constitutional objection to that method of dealing with them. When 
we read of such things in history, we are apt to think them diabolical. 
But, approved as they are now and here by popular judgment, and unre- 
buked even by senatorial wisdom, we must concede, I suppose, that it is 
very good taste and refined humanity disguised in a new dress. 

As a general rule, political piety, wherever it has turned up the whites 
of its eyes in this country or in Europe, is a sham and a false pretense, 
but in this exceptional case it would be speaking evil of dignities to call 
it hypocrisy. The soundness of a religion which slanders a Mormon is 
not to be questioned. Equally pure is the act of a returning officer who 
fraudulently certifies the election of an anti-Mormon candidate known to 
be defeated by a majority of more than fifteen to one, nor will we attri- 
bute any sordid motive to those residents of Utah, official and private, who 
busy themselves here and at home to break down the Territorial govern- 
ment, seize its offices, and grab its money. 

> Their righteous souls are vexed from day to day by the mere fact that 
sinful men are allowed to live peaceful and prosperous lives. They are 
animated solely by disinterested zeal for the advancement of the Lord's 
Kingdom, which in their judgment would be much obstructed by the 
further continuance of free goverment in Utah. — Federal Jurisdiction 
in the Territories, p. 5. 

Judge Black's statements in this particular may be held to 
have such weight as can be derived from the careful examina- 
tion of a subject by a learned and experienced judge and advo- 



6 THE REAL MORMONISM 

cate. Since, as he strongly suggests, anti-Mormon agitators 
have been inconsistent with the traditions of freedom and equal 
rights, the Mormons, suffering from their onslaughts, have been 
the real champions of American institutions. Says R. W. 
Sloan, a Mormon writer: 

" It has been the claim of the Latter-day Saints that in making a de- 
fense in their own behalf they have been fighting for liberty in behalf of 
all men. At first blush this claim seems presumptuous. But if it be ex- 
amined closely there will be found much to justify the assumption. Not 
that they have courted the assaults made upon them ; but as a peculiarity 
of their history, no action against them, either by lawless mobs or through 
legal means, has ever been taken that was not in violation of some prin- 
ciple dear to every liberty-loving heart. Thus, in defending themselves, 
they have stood manfully for principles that must endure forever, and 
which, violated even as a temporary expedient, or in response to ' the ty- 
rant's devilish plea ' — necessity — bring unerring retribution when turned 
from their natural purpose. . . . 

" It is because of this phase that Mormonism has become known as a 
'vexed problem'; because of this also that men possessed of instinctive 
statesmanship have never touched the problem. But we do find those of 
vulpine sagacity — madly protesting, despite the experience of all times, 
temporary evil to be justifiable that worse may not survive, and that such 
a departure from good will be in the cause of good. ... It was on this 
plea — a temporarv evil on behalf of permanent good — that the advocates 
of this policy urged the adoption of measures against the Mormons by 
Congress." — The Great Contest, p. I. 

It is difficult to believe that the American people and the Amer- 
ican Government, pledged as they are to safeguarding the rights 
of humanity at large, should have wittingly perpetrated such in- 
justices as the Mormons have suffered. Says the Hon. Ambrose 
B. Carlton: 

" I wish deliberately to record my opinion that the Mormons have been 
worse misrepresented and lied about than any people I have ever met. 
Lies about them have been made out of whole cloth; venial faults and 
weaknesses have been magnified into gross and monstrous offenses, and 
innocent or indifferent actions have been misinterpreted. 

" I have been an eye-witness to transactions, in which the Mormons 
were cruelly and outrageously abused for conduct that was just and hon- 
orable. I have read what purported to be Mormon sermons, that were 
purely fictitious ; one in particular, a very few years ago, a brutal, blood- 
thirsty, disloyal harangue, alleged to have been delivered by ' Bishop West 
of Juab,' on a certain day, whereas in truth and in fact no such sermon 
had been delivered at any time or place, and it was acknowledged after- 
wards to be a pure and simple fabrication; but not until it had gone 
abroad as evidence of the disloyalty of the Mormons. 
_ " Every now and then lies are set afloat that the Mormons are about to 
rise in armed insurrection ; when, in truth, I can say after nearly seven 
years' observation, that there is no community on the civilized globe less 
liable than the Mormons to take up arms against the government. _ Po- 
lygamy aside, the Mormons have been more sinned against than sinning." 
— Wonderlands of the Wild West, p. 151. 

Judge Carlton was chairman of the Utah Commission, ap- 



THE MORMON PROBLEM 7 

pointed under the provisions of the Edmunds Law, and sent to 
Utah in 1882. Although opposed to plural marriage on prin- 
ciple, he was otherwise fair to the Mormons, as will be shown 
later by other quotations from his writings. 

It may be difficult to comprehend the surprising state of af- 
fairs set forth in the foregoing quotations. In view, however, 
of the fact that anti-Mormon persecutions date from the very 
birth of the Mormon Church, the explanation offered by Charles 
Ellis, a former clergyman residing in Utah, who wrote consid- 
erably in defense of Mormonism, although he never joined the 
Church, may be accepted tentatively. Says Mr. Ellis: 

"From its appearance, Mormonism has been hated by the evangelical 
sects as a heresy. The cry against its polygamy, as being a danger to so- 
ciety, and the cry against its priesthood, as being a danger to the govern- 
ment, have never been more than a subterfuge, the object being to detract 
attention from the real fight, which was to destroy the Mormon heresy. 
This statement will bear full investigation. . . . Why has Mormonism 
been so much misunderstood? Simply because the evangelical churches 
saw in its success their own downfall and they dared not let their own 
followers know what Mormonism was, lest they should embrace it. 

" As compared with the evangelical conception of life here and here- 
after, of God and the glories of immortality, Mormonism is as a Rocky- 
Mountain day in May compared to a New England day in March, when 
the wind is east and the sun is veiled. Such being the case, it may be 
readily understood that an investigation of early Mormon history in Utah 
will reveal a very different spirit from that which has been talked about, 
and written and preached against in the east for nearly half a century." 
— Utah, 1847 to 1870, p. 5. 

A sufficiently large number of the stock allegations urged 
against the Mormon Church and people will be discussed and 
analyzed on later pages. It would be, consequently, both unnec- 
essary and unprofitable to give them here. We are concerned 
most particularly with such an analysis and discussion of the 
system and its claims as will enable the reader to derive an in- 
telligent idea of an object of so much detestation, and, possibly 
also, some of the reasons why it has been so much detested. 

In the first place, Mormonism claims to be a religious system 
— furthermore a Christian system of belief and practice — and 
bases its first and strongest appeal on the profession that it is 
the true, original Gospel of Christ, perfectly restored on earth 
after the apostasy of the whole of the " Christian world/' be- 
cause of traditions that have " made God's law of none effect." 
In making even so radical a claim as this the system is not per- 
fectly unique : its assertion seems to hark back to " reforma- 
tion" times, indeed, and to savor of a spirit of confidence that 
has, whether rightly or wrongly, inspired the promulgators and 
founders of several antecedent sects and systems. Why it is 
materially worse in Joseph Smith to promulgate a new system of 



8 THE REAL MORMONISM 

thought and practice, or to interpret the Word of God anew, 
than the same attempt in John Calvin, Martin Luther, or any 
other " reformer " or leader, is a question that should logically 
occur to the candid and unbiassed mind. To answer in the 
words of his opponents that he was a man of contemptible char- 
acter, a drunkard, imposter and self-interested exploiter of cre- 
dulity, also an ignoramus or an "epileptic," is evidently no 
answer at all; since persons possessing the shortcomings and 
afflictions in question are not the most likely to accomplish mem- 
orable results, even with the best efforts. Furthermore, the 
most highly esteemed founders of sects and systems in the past 
— even the vigorous and intrepid Luther, or the gloomy and in- 
tellectual Calvin — seem, all of them, to have labored under the 
handicaps of serious personal faults and failings, oftentimes 
quite as serious as even the drunkenness and ignorance alleged 
against Joseph Smith. But, quite apart from all personal con- 
siderations, the ideas and beliefs promulgated by any of these 
men must be judged according to their consistency with reason, 
Scripture, or other accepted standard of authority, and recom- 
mended or rejected accordingly. Since Joseph Smith was also 
a man, one possessed, presumably, of several of the virtues and 
failings common to humanity, there can be alleged no sufficient 
reason for dealing with him by any other method. If the ideas 
which he originated, or promulgated, or which were originated, 
as some have alleged, by certain of his associates, are found to 
be unworthy of serious consideration, we must recognize that he 
was only another among the host of " guessers," who have con- 
fidently announced themselves as " solvers " of the " great prob- 
lem " of life. If his teachings contain aught that is worthy or 
excellent, it is no more than just that he should be given credit 
as a vigorous and independent thinker and leader — even though 
one may not feel constrained to accept his leadership — and 
that, quite apart from the failings of character and conduct that 
he may have manifested at any period of his life. The same 
candid and honest spirit of investigation has been invoked in 
dealing with the teachings of all the ancient and " heathen " 
sages and teachers ; nor is there any good reason why the system 
popularly known as " Mormonism " should be ignored and mis- 
represented by people otherwise supposed to be intelligent. Even 
though Smith claimed to have received " revelations " from the 
Almighty — and many people believe that this is impossible, now- 
adays at least — it is a highly reasonable act to examine his 
utterances and history, in order to found a just estimate on his 
character and influence than merely to dwell on the often ribald 
accusations of unknown and irresponsible " old neighbors " and 



THE MORMON PROBLEM 9 

"prominent citizens," whose accusations against him and his 
family form the bulk of the case against Mormonism. 

It may be proper to state at this point that, on the basis of an 
exhaustive and prolonged study of Joseph Smith and of the sys- 
tem founded by him, the writer of the present work is convinced 
that both deserve better of the world than they have as yet re- 
ceived ; that there is an immense amount of the greatest value, to 
both thought and life, in the teachings of Mormonism, and that, 
whether an inspired prophet of God, or not, Joseph Smith is en- 
titled to his place, and a conspicuous one at that, among historic 
thinkers, leaders and reformers. In spite of the dense ignorance 
and venal character alleged against him, he interpreted the re- 
ligious life in an entirely new, and decidedly notable light; he 
dealt with the historic dilemma of " faith and works " in a 
manner that cannot but excite the admiration of the candid and 
informed reader; he handled the problems of life in a manner 
that showed the master-mind; finally, he originated a system of 
social and community organization that is of the highest signifi- 
cance to sociological theory, as the first of its kind attempting 
to deal with the " problems " of human life that really seems to 
solve them rationally, and, at the same time, to possess any of 
the elements of permanence and efficiency. Surely, the historic 
originator of all this — whether " inspired " or not, or whether 
assisted by others or not — deserves earnest and careful atten- 
tion, and the best efforts of which the investigator is capable, in 
order to unravel his significance to the world and to the history 
of thought. 



CHAPTER II 

THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH 

The name of Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism and pro- 
fessed prophet of God, is destined, doubtless, as was said to him 
in one of his reported visions, to " be good and evil spoken of 
among all peoples." Apart from anything that may inspire re- 
spect or evoke mistrust, moving one to admire or dislike him, he 
remains one of the most romantic figures in history, also, per- 
haps, one of the most problematical. Although born of simple- 
minded and largely unlettered parents and reared in a wilder- 
ness, with only moderate educational advantages, his first ap- 
pearance before the world is in the role of leader and teacher of 
religion, and the promulgator of a system of doctrine and life 
that is at once intelligent, logical, practical and persistent. His 
personality was such that it lent cogency to his teachings, and 
his teachings have been accepted by thousands, who still hold 
his name in reverence and endorse his every profession to a 
divine mission in the world. 

Few men have been worse hated, on the one hand, or more 
thoroughly beloved on the other, in all the world's history. It 
seems strange, indeed, that a man of inconspicuous origin and 
defective worldly advantages, " a youth to fortune and to fame 
unknown," should have appeared so near to our own time to play 
such a part, and to win such distinguished regard. To the fair- 
minded student of his career Joseph Smith must appear as a 
veritable riddle, a character not readily to be estimated at its full 
value, because evidently so many-sided, so versatile and so force- 
ful. If it is difficult for any of us to understand the " secret of 
his influence," the reason for the lofty reverence of his followers, 
it must be equally difficult to comprehend the superlative bitter- 
ness of his enemies, particularly if we be asked to countenance 
or justify the deliberate lies that they have told about him and 
the savage truculence with which they have opposed him and his 
followers. 

The personality of Joseph Smith, which those who knew him, 
as friends and sympathizers, describe as wonderfully magnetic 

10 



THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH n 

and masterful, evidently possessing power and exerting influ- 
ence, is characterized by others as " uncouth," " awkward," 
"vulgar" and otherwise disagreeable. Thus, this man who 
could command the devotion of thousands of sane and normal 
people, not only in days of calm prosperity, but in the midst of 
hardship and persecution — yet some people will tell us that 
many of Smith's disciples were attracted by the prospects of 
material benefits, not otherwise available to them — is repre- 
sented to the intelligent public as some sort of buffoon or whole- 
sale " confidence man." Such representations are familiar in 
the several " testimonies " of anonymous " ladies " and " gentle- 
men," who seem to vie with the affidaviting " old neighbors " 
and " prominent citizens," none of whom figure very largely in 
history — unless, as asserted, a few were " revolutionary sol- 
diers " — in making descriptions which do not describe. Among 
such is the often-quoted " Girl's Letter from Nauvoo," which 
contains the following: 

"Joseph Smith is a large, stout man, youthful in his appearance, with 
light complexion and hair, and blue eyes set far back in the head, and ex- 
pressing great shrewdness, or I should say, cunning. He has a large 
head, and phrenologists would unhesitatingly pronounce it a bad one, for 
the organs situated in the back part are decidedly more prominent. He is 
also very round shouldered. He had just returned from Springfield, 
where he had been upon trial for some crime of which he was accused 
while in Missouri, but he was released by habeas corpus. I, who had 
expected to be overwhelmed by his eloquence, was never more disap- 
pointed than when he commenced his discourse by relating all the inci- 
dents of his journey. This he did in a loud voice, and his language and 
manner were the coarsest possible. His object seemed to be to amuse 
and excite laughter in his audience. He is evidently a great egotist and 
boaster, for he frequently remarked that at every place he stopped, going 
to and from Springfield, people crowded around him, and expressed 
surprise that he was so ' handsome and good looking/ He also exclaimed 
at the close of almost every sentence, ' That's the idea ! ' " 

Although the maidenly prejudices and phrenological predilec- 
tions of this " girl " have evidently led her to discount the abili- 
ties of Mr. Smith, it is necessary to remark only that most of 
his published discourses seem to be of a far different character 
from the one presumably heard on this occasion. It must be 
refreshing, however, to the candid reader of the present day to 
learn that Mr. Smith possessed sufficient sense of humor to ap- 
preciate the absurdity of many of the so-called legal proceedings 
that were brought against him. That he described them in the 
humorous language suggested in this passage is scarcely remark- 
able. His critic was evidently deficient in ability to comprehend 
some situations. 

Compared with the common run of estimates and incidents re- 
garding this man's personality and character, we have the famous 



12 THE REAL MORMONISM 

account written by Josiah Quincy, son of the famous Josiah 
Quincy, and, himself, at one time, Mayor of Boston, which is 
competent in evidence to show how Smith affected a really in- 
telligent and experienced mind. It is partly as follows: 

" It is by no means improbable that some future text book, for the 
use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like 
this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted 
the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And 
it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may 
be thus written : Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet. And the reply, 
absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious 
common-place to their descendants. History deals in surprises and para- 
doxes quite as startling as this. The man who established a religion 
in this age of free debate, who was and is to-day accepted by hundreds of 
thousands as a direct emissary from the Most High — such a rare human 
being is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory 
epithets. Fanatic, imposter, charlatan, he may have been; but these 
hard names furnish no solution to the problem he presents to us. 
Fanatics and imposters are living and dying every day, and their memory 
is buried with them; but the wonderful influence which this founder 
of a religion exerted and still exerts throws him into relief before us, 
not as a rogue to be criminated, but as a phenomenon to be explained. 
The most vital questions Americans are asking each other to-day have 
to do with this man and what he has left us. ... A generation other 
than mine must deal with these questions. Burning questions they are, 
which must give a prominent place in the history of the country to that 
sturdy self-asserter whom I visited at Nauvoo." — Figures of the Past, 
P. 3fy> 

Although Mr. Quincy states at another place, that Smith 
"mingled Utopian fallacies with his shrewd suggestions," many 
of which he was compelled to endorse in the highest terms, and 
that " he talked as from a strong mind utterly unenlightened by 
the teachings of history," he concludes, as follows: 

" Born in the lowest ranks of poverty, without book-learning and with 
the homeliest of all human names, he had made himself at the age of 
thirty-nine a power upon earth. Of the multitudinous family of Smith, 
from Adam down (Adam of the Wealth of Nations, I mean), none had 
so won human hearts and shaped human lives as this Joseph. His in- 
fluence, whether for good or for evil, is potent to-day, and the end is 
not yet. I have endeavored to give the details of my visit to the Mormon 
Prophet with absolute accuracy. If the reader does not know just what 
to make of Joseph Smith, I cannot help him out of the difficulty. I 
myself stand helpless before the puzzle." 

We may be prepared, then, for the statement that a careful 
study of Smith's life and work, such as would be cheerfully 
accorded to any other character in history — and even Judas 
Iscariot has had his defenders — will reveal the surprising fact 
that, where many writers have found only a vulgar and corrupt 
charlatan, we shall discern a born leader of men, one possessed 
of force and intellect, a real reformer along several lines, a thor- 
ough student of the Bible, and a teacher of religion, morals, 



THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH 13 

sociology and government with a real message, who evidently 
attempted to justify his every claim to the intelligence of man- 
kind. 

At the very beginning of our study we find a host of alleged 
u affidavits " embodying the familiar traditional accusations 
against Joseph Smith and all his family, alleging depravity of 
several orders, both ordinary and extraordinary, which are 
" swallowed whole, hair, hide and hoofs," in spite of various in- 
consistencies and irrelevancies, by the average critic and " stu- 
dent" of Mormonism. Thus, in the words of one Pomeroy 
Tucker, who has been largely quoted by all subsequent " inves- 
tigators," we learn that: 

" At this period in the life and career of Joseph Smith, Jr., or Joe 
Smith, as he was universally named, and the Smith family, they were 
popularly regarded as an illiterate, whiskey-drinking, shiftless, irre- 
ligious race of people — the first named, the chief subject of this 
biography, being unanimously voted the laziest and most worthless of 
the generation. From the age of twelve to twenty years he is distinctly 
remembered, as a dull-eyed, flaxen-haired, prevaricating boy — noted only 
for his indolent and vagabondish character, and his habits of exaggera- 
tion and untruthfulness." 

Admitting fully the genuineness of the " testimony " upon 
which these statements are based, its competence is not estab- 
lished — things " unanimously voted " and " distinctly remem- 
bered " in this way are not always the justest and most intelli- 
gent things that may be said of people. We must remember, 
also, that, had Smith become a poet, artist or writer of fiction, 
or even a conspicuous figure in any other walk of life than that 
which he selected, he would have been remembered as a " dreamy 
and introspective boy," instead of one possessing an " indolent 
and vagabondish character." If we may judge from the careers 
and characters of many of the people noted in these other 
" walks," we must understand that the variant estimates in the 
two cases, as explained, indicate differing " animus " in the wit- 
nesses, rather than differing conditions in the environments and 
characters of the subjects. As for the remarks on " illiterate, 
whiskey-drinking, shiftless" parents, whatever may have been 
the real facts in the present case, the " cloven foot " of slanderous 
rural gossip is only too plainly evident. We should have ex- 
pected to hear that Smith's father had been a notorious house- 
breaker, highwayman or horse-thief, instead of merely illiterate 
and shiftless. A man of such a character would, very probably, 
have been of a grade of intelligence and energy likely to beget a 
son capable of engineering " hoaxes." To ask the public to be- 
lieve that a merely worthless and indolent father can account 
for such a movement as Mormonism is only to insult intelli- 



i 4 THE REAL MORMONISM 

gence, and betray one's own spite, ignorance and credulity. Of 
very similar value are most of the " affidavits " presented by 
Howe, Tucker, and others. Of these the following is a good 
sample : 

" We, the undersigned, being personally acquainted with the family 
of Joseph Smith, St., with whom the Gold Bible, so called, originated, 
state: That they were not only a lazy, indolent set of men, but also 
intemperate, and their word was not to be depended upon ; and that we 
are truly glad to dispense with their society." 

Eleven " prominent citizens of Manchester " apparently swore 
to this " instrument," thus guaranteeing its truth " to the best 
of their knowledge and belief," but why any man sufficiently in- 
telligent to write a grammatically-constructed book should con- 
sider it worth quoting as authority is very nearly incomprehen- 
sible. Without attempting to clear the characters of Joseph 
Smith, or those of any of his family, we must protest that the 
futility of such testimony is amply demonstrated in the fact that 
it never attempts to make really serious criminal charges, and is 
to be discredited as mere " railing accusation." 

Nor, in protesting against this kind of " testimony " can we be 
justly charged with partiality: we complain only because we 
hear nothing worse, something colossal, enterprising and really 
depraved. In view of the results achieved by him, we are bound 
te recognize in Joseph Smith a really exceptional man, one 
worthy to rank far above the average of his associates in point of 
native abilities. If he was altogether evil, therefore, an " im- 
poster," demagogue and self-seeking scoundrel, he must certainly 
have been more than merely idle and drunken in his youth. 
But, here we have no more serious accusations than he himself 
pleads guilty to, when, as he says in his journal, he fell into 
" many foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, and 
the foibles of human nature, offensive in the sight of God." He 
had the grace, at least, to acknowledge such shortcomings as may 
have been committed by him : nor does he offer excuses or " ex- 
planations." 

Apart from the evident reasonableness of such a line of criti- 
cism, it is only just to say that the allegations of superlative 
worthlessness made against the family of Joseph Smith are en- 
tirely unproven by any decent show of evidence. The behavior 
of his parents and brothers in after-life shows no signs of the 
faults so confidently stated in the affidavits of " old neighbors " 
and " prominent citizens," who evidently follow the prevalent 
uncharity of judgment in ascribing poverty and business inca- 
pacity to " shiftlessness, whiskey-drinking and general worthless- 
ness of character." Such allegations, however, have played their 



THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH 15 

full part in prejudicing the mind of the public against Mr. Smith, 
as a man of " humble origin and unfortunate early influences," 
who has presumed to rise above the level in which he originated. 
It is curious that such handicaps, which, if present, should rather 
excite the compassion of generous and informed minds, should 
become occasions for violent abuse and denunciation from the 
preachers of religion and the intelligent public in general in a 
nation, theoretically, at least, emancipated from the sickening 
traditions of hereditary aristocracy. In Smith's case, this un- 
worthy line of criticism has been carried to a disgusting extreme. 

Perfectly similarly, we read in several anti-Smith productions 
that he himself was so given to over-indulgence in alcoholic 
drinks that " even his own followers admit " the fault. Careful 
search among the published statements of his " followers " re- 
veals no such admission, even by implication, except in a remark 
ascribed to Martin Harris, and his would-be accusers, clerical and 
literary, have forgotten to give the references. It is quite certain, 
however, that had Mr. Smith been addicted to the excessive use 
of alcohol from his youth onward, he would probably have shown 
its effects in some definite impairment of his energies, and cer- 
tainly in defective courage to face the truculent assaults of ene- 
mies, directed, as they were, by intelligent and relentless leaders. 

In the case of Joseph Smith, as may be claimed with some show 
of reason, there is no element or motive that explains his career 
quite so well as his sufficient and unfailing belief in the reality 
of his authority to teach and preach in the name of God. This 
involves, of course, a sufficient belief in his own mind in the 
reality of the several visions and revelations which he claims to 
have had. Nor is it essential to our argument that we determine, 
theoretically at least, what was, or probably must have been the 
real nature of the various experiences, which Joseph Smith at- 
tributed to direct divine agency. The entire course of his life 
certainly furnishes an excellent argument for the conclusion that 
he himself believed implicitly and firmly in their reality and au- 
thority. It seems safe, then, to assert with confidence that, 
whether dreams, delusions or actualities, they played their full 
part in stimulating a mind whose products have valuably enlight- 
ened the world in several important particulars, as will be ex- 
plained later. If they be held to have been of purely pathological 
import, as has been suggested by one or two slovenly theorizers, 
the fact still remains that the consequent productions of the mind 
of Mr. Smith, stimulated by a conviction of their reality and 
divine authority, are positively not characterized by any patho- 
logical element whatever ; being rather admirable and highly prac- 
tical solutions of sociological, moral and religious difficulties, 



16 THE REAL MORMONISM 

which have defied the ingenuity of thinkers and religionists of 
other persuasions to this very day. If, finally, for the mere sake 
of gratifying sundry critics who talk more than they think or 
investigate, we assume that Smith's reported visions and revela- 
tions were deliberate fictions, we cannot escape the conclusion 
that, in his speech and actions, he displayed a masterly imitation 
of real conviction; thus adding excellent histrionic ability to his 
other talents. It has been said that a falsehood persistently told 
presently assumes the symptoms of reality in the falsifier's mind. 
Such alleged fact, however, cannot vitiate the evident conclusion 
that the several excellent institutions, ecclesiastical and otherwise, 
devised, or promulgated, by this same person, seem altogether 
more perfect than anything that should be demanded, in all pro- 
priety, to lend mere verisimilitude to an original misrepresenta- 
tion. We make Mr. Smith work altogether too hard and too 
well, if we assume merely that all these things were done to 
uphold the alleged truth of a fable that had been already so 
eagerly accepted by hundreds of people on his simple word of 
mouth. 

The following passages give the account of Joseph Smith's 
professed experiences in his own words: 

" Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester, 
there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the 
subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became 
general among all the sects in that region of the country. Indeed, the 
whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes 
united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no 
small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, ' Lo, here ! ' 
and others, ' Lo, there ! ' Some were contending for the Methodist faith, 
some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist. For notwith- 
standing the great love which the converts to these different faiths 
expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested 
by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting 
this extraordinary scene of religious feeling, in order to have everybody 
converted, as they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they 
pleased — yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party 
and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of 
both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a 
scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued; priest contending 
against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good 
feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a 
strife of words and a contest about opinions. 

"I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family was 
proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined that 
church, namely — my mother Lucy; my brothers Hyrum and Samuel 
Harrison; and my sister Sophronia. During this time of great excite- 
ment, my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness ; 
but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself 
aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as 
often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became 
somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be 



THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH 17 

united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among 
the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young 
as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any 
certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong. My mind at 
times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. 
The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Method- 
ists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their 
errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On 
the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally 
zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all 
others," — History of the Church, Vol. I, pp. 2-4. 

In reading this passage one cannot doubt that it gives a faithful 
picture of the times (1820), both in the sectarian quarrels and in 
the mental perturbations likely to occur in young persons of sus- 
ceptible organization. In fact, we have no reason whatever for 
doubting that such were the actual experiences of the youthful 
Smith, and that he records them truthfully. He further records 
that he determined to put his doubts to the test of Scriptural 
authority, which was another thing largely done at that period, 
and that, in the course of his readings, he came upon the passage 
(James I.5) " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God 
. . . and it shall be given him." So stirred was he by this ad- 
monition, he records, that he determined to put it to the test. 
The results may be best explained in his own words. In the same 
narration previously quoted, he proceeds with the following: 
"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to 
go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down 
and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely 
done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which 
entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me 
as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered 
around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to 
sudden destruction. But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to 
deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, 
and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and 
abandon myself to destruction — not to an imaginary ruin, but to the 
power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such 
marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being — just at this 
moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, 
above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it 
fell upon me. 

" It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy 
which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two 
personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing 
above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, 
and said, pointing to the other — 'This is my beloved son, hear him/ 
" My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all 
the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, there- 
fore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I 
asked the personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the 
sects was right — and which I should join. I was answered that I 
must join none of them, for they were all wrong, and the personage who 



18 THE REAL MORMONISM 

addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in His 
sight : that those professors were all corrupt : that ' they draw near to me 
with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doc- 
trines the commandments of men : having a form of godliness, but they 
deny the power thereof.' He again forbade me to join with any of 
them : and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write 
at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my 
back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no 
strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home." — Ibid, 
pp. 5-6. 

As might have been expected, the report of this vision by the 
youthful seer gained very slight credence, except with the mem- 
bers of his own family. To his neighbors, of course, he could 
seem to be nothing other than a victim of delusion, and worse 
than that, of diabolical delusion, or obsession. Nor did it occur 
to any of them to make mere sport of the young man's profes- 
sions — a saving sense of humor seems never to have been pos- 
sessed by any of Smith's detractors — and, as a consequence, 
their treatment of him partook of a childish brutality that seems 
in no way less absurd than the most exaggerated claims that he 
could have ventured to make. Thus, as he records, his narra- 
tion of his vision to one of the most active of the revivalist 
Methodist preachers, instead of some pious attempt to exorcise 
the " delusion," was met with " a great deal of contempt." Smith 
adds also : " I soon found that my telling the story had excited a 
great deal of prejudice against me among the professors of re- 
ligion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued 
to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between 
fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances of life 
such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men 
of standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public 
mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was 
common among all sects - — all united to persecute me." 

However " improbable " such a condition of affairs might seem 
to the casual reader, one must not forget that it forms an emi- 
nently fitting start for the bitter persecutions always visited upon 
Smith. It is also of a part with the religious persecutions of all 
ages. Their nature has ever been essentially cowardly, visiting 
" righteous wrath " upon the weak, the ignorant and the de- 
pendent, and reaching to the influential and powerful only excep- 
tionally. As in the reign of " Bloody Mary " of England, as is 
recorded, it was principally the mean, poor and humble " victims 
of error " that were selected in the majority of cases for the dis- 
tinction of martyrdom : very few of the " ringleaders of heresy," 
comparatively speaking, were " brought to justice." Undoubt- 
edly Smith's report that he had " learned for himself that Pres- 
byterianism is not true," and that all the sects " were all wrong," 



THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH 19 

must have stirred the antagonism of the clergy, particularly, as 
would seem probable, the youth persisted in telling the story to 
all who would listen. But it seems strange, indeed, that his 
narrations should have been received in such a spirit of bitter- 
ness, particularly since, as he reminds us, he was " an obscure 
boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age.'* We seem 
to have some explanation of the origin of the confidently cir- 
culated stories of his youthful worthlessness and depravity, as 
reproduced by several " authorities " : the two parts of the story 

— his account and the affidavits of " prominent citizens " — seem 
to belong together. 

In the consideration of Smith's reported experience, we must 
not overlook the readily-verifiable fact that, whether real or un- 
real, its professed nature and details are quite of a kind with 
the experiences claimed by numerous others in all ages. Nor 
need we cite examples of notable and prominent historic person- 
ages. The visions of angels, of the departed, of evil spirits, 
even of the Saviour himself, seem to have been reported and 
tolerated among the religious, even to this very day. No less a 
Puritan authority than Increase Mather records numerous cases 
of " apparitions " in his book, Remarkable Providences, and dis- 
tinctly states that he believed them both possible and frequent. 
Also in the literature of " wonderful conversions," so popular 
until within a generation since, we will find numerous cases of 
such experiences, alleged by persons who were led, seemingly, 
through such instrumentality, to adopt the Christian life. Now 
it is an angelic visitant that rebukes the sinner and warns him 
to repent " ere it is too late " ; now, it is a " glorious personage," 
probably believed to be the Saviour himself, that calls to a special 
mission for the kingdom of God; again, it is by an "audible 
voice " that certain eminent Christian people claim to have been 
called to a " better life." As we may find, also, in the literature 
of " psychical research," so-called, the numerous and constantly 
recurring accounts of apparitions, particularly of the deceased, 
are accepted as evidence of " something not perfectly under- 
stood." Whatever may be the explanation of such experiences 

— since they seem to be sufficiently numerous and sufficiently 
vivid to avoid the suspicion of either fabrication, on the one hand, 
or of mere derangement of the senses, on the other — it is quite 
certain that their acceptance involves no violation of the prin- 
ciples accepted among the pious. The assertion that such visions, 
as well as other " gifts " and marks of divine favor, are no 
longer "vouchsafed" seems rather an evidence of growing 
" scepticism " among the clergy, or of a fear lest the Evil One 
uses such means to " deceive unwary souls," than the statement 



20 THE REAL MORMONISM 

of a principle distinctly involved in traditional systems of be- 
lief. Such an attitude is distinctly taken by such writers as 
Increase Mather, as well as by sundry others since his day. 
Religious writers among Protestants are considerably more 
" careful " nowadays — fearing, probably, some compromise with 
the claims of " spiritism," if they should credit such accounts — 
although, in very many cases, somewhat sceptical, also : but cer- 
tain reactionaries, the real " conservatives " in theology, do not 
hesitate to credit the claims of Spiritism, and similar cults, as- 
cribing their " manifestations," one and all, to the Evil One and 
his angels. 

When we consider the fact that visions and supposed visita- 
tions of the dead, of angels, also of divine personages, is a part 
of the common stock of human tradition, accepted among all 
nations, and to the present day; and, further, that we know of 
nothing that can warrant us in stating that such experiences are 
either untrue, or impossible, it is certain that we have a very 
poor and unreliable " explanation " of Joseph Smith's visions 
in the theory that he was the victim of some order of pathological 
delusion. The great trouble is that the allegation of disease in 
the mind of Mr. Smith involves more or less the same, or a 
very similar, condition in such a large proportion of the people 
whose names are notable in religious history. In order to dis- 
credit him, therefore, we are asked to believe that religious ex- 
altation partakes of the nature of epilepsy, or some similar form 
of cerebral affection; also, that its other ill effects are very 
generally absent, or, at least, quite negligible in their influences. 

In one particular this vision of Joseph Smith seems to differ 
from the majority of recorded experiences of similar character, 
and this is in the delivery of a message that is (i) strikingly 
contrary to anything that he might be supposed to have ex- 
pected, and (2) that forms the real point of departure for the 
work of his after-life, the foundation of all the strikingly bril- 
liant contributions to sociological and theological sciences, which, 
as we shall see later, were made by him. As a usual thing the 
personages, apparently present in a vision, say or do nothing that 
is of very exceptional interest or value. The subject of the 
visitation is often told, for example, that he is a sinner, and that 
he must repent; or that there is a work for him to do, usually 
in the way of preaching the Gospel or of caring for God's poor. 
Very often, as we may find by some reading in the scattered 
sources, visitations or "apparitions," coming in answer to an 
expressed desire, or to prayer, give answers as enigmatical as the 
ancient Delphic oracles to any inquiries that may be made. As 
a general rule, also, Spiritistic messages partake of the mental 



THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH 21 

color and prejudices of the persons engaged in the " inquiry." 
Why these things are as they are we shall not undertake to 
determine. It is interesting, however, to consider that the mes- 
sage given to the youthful Smith in his reported vision was 
scarcely of a character to have originated in the untutored and 
inexperienced brain of a boy in his surroundings and at his 
period. To state that it was a conclusion formed in his own 
mind as the result of anxious cogitation on the discordant claims 
of the rival sects of his neighborhood — for there were very keen 
and bitter rivalries among them at this period — is to credit him 
with considerable power of reasoning, also some alertness of 
mind to discern the essential incompatibility of bitter rivalries 
with the Gospel of Love and Good Will to men. Nor is it too 
much to believe that his recountal of this message to his neighbors, 
and to the local clergy, must have resulted in precisely the kind of 
persecution and disfavor which he records. Except for this, his 
vision would likely have been set down to mere fervid imagina- 
tion. 

During the three succeeding years of Smith's life nothing of 
great importance seems to have occurred — at least, nothing of 
the kind is recorded by him or his biographers. In his journal, 
above quoted, he remarks of this period: 

"During the space of time which intervened between the time I had 
the vision and the year eighteen hundred and twenty-three — having 
been forbidden to join any of the religious sects of the day, and being 
of very tender years, and persecuted by those who ought to have been 
my friends, and to have treated me kindly, and if they supposed me to 
be deluded to have endeavored in a proper and affectionate manner to 
have reclaimed me, — I was left to all kinds of temptations ; and mingling 
with all kinds of society, I frequently fell into many foolish errors, and 
displayed the weakness of youth, and the foibles of human nature; 
which, I am sorry to say, led me into divers temptations, offensive in 
the sight of God. In making this confession, no one need suppose me 
guilty of any great or malignant sins. A disposition to commit such 
was never in my nature. But I was guilty of levity, and sometimes 
associated with jovial company, etc., not consistent with that character 
which ought to be maintained by one who was called of God as I had 
been. But this will not seem very strange to any one who recollects 
my youth, and is acquainted with my native cheery temperament." — 
History of the Church, Vol. I, pp. 9-10. 

This period must have been that in which Smith's bad reputa- 
tion was greatly augmented. Nor could it be remarkable that 
the " levity " of which he makes mention should appear of even 
graver import, in view of his previously reported vision. It is 
popularly supposed that he indulged in alcoholic stimulants, also 
in the fortune-telling and water-witching extravagances, so fre- 
quently mentioned by his critics. We need not dwell upon the 
folly of such lines of behavior, however, since there is no 



22 THE REAL MORMONISM 

reason to believe them any worse in Smith than in other persons 
less conspicuous. In a letter to his friend, Oliver Cowdery, 
written some years later, he comments upon his conduct in the 
following words : 

" During this time, as is common to most, or all youths, I fell into 
many vices and follies ; but as my accusers are, and have been forward 
to accuse me of being guilty of gross and outrageous violations of the 
peace and good order of the community, I take the occasion to remark 
that, though as I have said above, ' as is common to most, or all youths, 
I fell into many vices and follies,' I have not, neither can it be sus- 
tained, in truth, been guilty of wronging or injuring any man or society 
of men; and those imperfections to which I allude, and for which I 
have often had occasion to lament, were a light, and too often, vain 
mind, exhibiting a foolish and trifling conversation. 

"This being all, and the worst, that my accusers can substantiate 
against my moral character, I wish to add that it is not without a deep 
feeling of regret that I am thus called upon in answer to my own con- 
science, to fulfil a duty I owe to myself, as well as to the cause of truth, 
in making this public confession of my former uncircumspect walk, and 
trifling conversation and more particularly, as I often acted in violation 
of those holy precepts which I knew came from God. ... I only add, 
that I do not, nor never have, pretended to be any other than a man 
'subject to passion,' and liable without the assisting grace of the 
Savior, to deviate from that perfect path in which all men are com- 
manded to walk." — Ibid. p. 10. 

In any other man than Smith the last sentence would be quoted 
as evidence of "manly piety and humility." He makes no at- 
tempt to justify or excuse any of the lapses committed by him, 
whatever these may have been, and states explicitly his complete 
dependence upon the grace of the Saviour for every good of 
which he is capable. Nor is there any reason whatever for 
charging him with " insincerity " or " imposture " in the use of 
such expressions. His lapses may have been serious, or merely 
the foolish indiscretions of an immature and irresponsible boy. 
In either case his maturity need not be charged with them. In 
some other cases of precisely similar disquietings of conscience 
we find that the things repented of are matters of no great 
moment, and that we have to deal rather with a morbid tendency 
to self -accusation than with anything that is worthy censure, 
even in the young. His manhood certainly showed no such 
serious criminality — unless we take account of the stock charge 
of " imposture " — that we need dwell upon this " confession " 
as evidence of anything beyond the common failings of human 
nature. We must remember, also, that St. Augustine, and sev- 
eral others among the " Church Fathers," lived lives by no means 
exemplary until well into their mature years ; but this fact de- 
tracts in nothing, in common estimate, from their subsequent 
contributions to Christian literature arid holy living. Like many 
of them, however, the mind of the youthful Smith was seriously 



THE RIDDLE OF JOSEPH SMITH 23 

disquieted on the matter of his spiritual standing. Thus we 

read: 

"In consequence of these things, I often felt condemned for my 
weakness and imperfections; when, on the evening of the above-men- 
tioned twenty-first of September, after I had retired to my bed for the 
night, I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for 
forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to 
me, that I might know of my state and standing before Him; for I 
had full confidence in obtaining a divine manifestation, as I previously 
had done. While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered 
a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the 
room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage 
appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch 
the floor. He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was 
a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe 
that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white 
and brilliant. His hands were naked and his arms also, a little above 
the wrist, so, also were his feet naked, as were his legs, a little above 
the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that 
he had no other clothing on but his robe, as it was open, so that I 
could see into his bosom. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but 
his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance 
truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very 
bright as immediately around his person. 

" When I first looked upon him, I was afraid ; but the fear soon left 
me. He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger 
sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; 
that God had a work for me to do ; and that my name should be had for 
good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should 
be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a 
book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the 
former inhabitants of this continent, and the course from whence they 
sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was 
contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; 
also, that there were two stones in silver bows — and these stones, 
fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and 
Thummim — deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of 
these stones were what constituted ' Seers ' in ancient or former times ; 
and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the 
book." — Ibid. pp. 10, 11, 12. 

According to the account, the heavenly messenger then quoted 
and commented on several passages of the Old and New Testa- 
ments, and also wrought upon the mind of the youth, so that he 
was enabled to see the golden plates in their resting-place. The 
messenger then ascended into heaven, but returned twice again 
in the same night, repeating his former message, and adding 
admonitions about the golden plates and similar important mat- 
ters. On the manner of his ascent into heaven the account has 
the following: 

"After this communication, I saw the light in the room begin to 
gather immediately around the person of him who had been speaking 
to me, and it continued to do so, until the room was again left dark, 
except just around him, when instantly I saw, as it were, a conduit open 



24 THE REAL MORMONISM 

right up into heaven, and he ascended until he entirely disappeared, and 
the room was left as it had been before this heavenly light had made 
its appearance." — Ibid. p. 13. 

After the third visit of Moroni, the narrator records that " the 
cock crowed, and I found that day was approaching." He then 
resumes : 

" I shortly after arose from my bed, and, as usual, went to the neces- 
sary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work as at other times, I 
found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely unable. My 
father, who was laboring along with me, discovered something to be 
wrong with me, and told me to go home. I started with the intention of 
going to the house; but, in attempting to cross the fence out of the 
field where we were, my strength entirely failed me, and I fell help- 
less on the ground, and for a time was quite unconscious of anything. 
The first thing that I can recollect was a voice speaking unto me, calling 
me by name. I looked up, and beheld the same messenger standing 
over my head, surrounded by light as before. He then again related 
unto me all that he had related to me the previous night, and commanded 
me to go to my father and tell him of the vision and commandments 
which I had received. I obeyed; I returned to my father in the field, 
and rehearsed the whole matter to him. He replied to me that it was 
of God, and told me to go and do as commanded by the messenger. I 
left the field, and went to the place where the messenger had told me the 
plates were deposited ; and owing to the distinctness of the vision which 
I had had concerning it, I knew the place the instant that I arrived 
there."— Ibid. pp. 14-15. 



CHAPTER III 

THE COMING-FORTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON 

With the episode commonly known as the " coming-forth of 
the Book of Mormon " the history of Joseph Smith enters upon 
a new phase. The production of the alleged " record of the 
Nephites " introduces him as the preacher of a definite gospel 
and the arbiter of opinions about God and religion. As in other 
matters in the history of Smith and his Church, no would-be 
critic has studied this book with any other motive than to pick 
flaws and condemn; nor has the reading public ever been in- 
formed as to precisely what are its contents, teachings and 
literary merits. The several theories of its origin, also, are 
distinguished particularly as masses of bald assumption and 
plausible possibilities, but without definite and conclusive solu- 
tions of the involved matters. Thus, as we shall see, one theory 
of the origin of this book ascribes its authorship to a certain 
Solomon Spaulding, a retired Presbyterian preacher of Ohio, 
whose manuscript had been stolen from a printing office in 
Pittsburg by a certain Sidney Rigdon, and by him — for some 
obscure and unsatisfactory reason — delivered to Joseph Smith, 
to serve as the basis of a movement for restoring the Gospel in 
an age of doubt and apostasy. As an alternate " explanation," 
several writers have attempted to demonstrate that this book 
was the product of " automatic writing," which is another rare, 
indefinite and imperfectly explained phenomenon, as set forth 
by certain writers on psychology. And all these improbable, 
indefensible and undemonstrable theories have been formulated to 
explain the doings of an arrant and shallow " imposter," as they 
call Smith, whose claims and assumptions are " their own refuta- 
tion," and " could be seriously considered by no informed mind ! " 

In this matter, as in the others, already discussed, the fair and 
logical procedure is to give Smith's own story of the origin and 
production of this book, and then discuss, in turn, the several 
theories devised to fit the facts. Nor can we fail to find out at 
the end of our discussion that there is positively no complete and 
final explanation of the matter discoverable to the investigator 

25 



26 THE REAL MORMONISM 

working on the problem at this late day. That the writing of 
the Book of Mormon was " no fool's job " must be evident to 
any unprejudiced reader. Whether or not it be what it pro- 
fesses, a record of God's dealings with certain ancient inhabi- 
tants of this continent, it is certainly not the product of an igno- 
rant and diseased brain, bent on perpetrating a hoax — " carrying 
out the fun," as some critics express it — nor could one readily 
believe that it had been written originally as a novel. Certain 
theorists have held that, while the body of the book was written 
as a novel by Spaulding, the " religious portions " were incor- 
porated by Rigdon, as part of his design for foisting it on the 
public as a brand-new revelation from God. As may be found on 
reading the book, Rigdon must have been far more skillful as an 
editor than was Spaulding as a novelist. The " religious por- 
tions," whether appearing in the form of lengthy discourses, or 
as stray remarks and dialogues, are, so far as the average critic 
could discern, integral parts of the total work. To omit them, 
one must seriously mutilate the accounts of various events, as 
they now stand. It may be asserted, also, that these several dis- 
courses and dialogues were evidently uttered, or otherwise pro- 
mulgated, originally, with no other intention in mind than to en- 
lighten the reader upon the views of Gospel truth therein pre- 
sented. 

Smith's account of the " coming- forth " of this book is as 
follows: On the morning after the second vision (Sept. 22, 
1823), as he records, he visited the hiding place of the plates of 
Mormon, in company with the angel Moroni. It was on the west 
side of a " hill of considerable size," now known as Cumorah, 
and, as Smith says, " owing to the distinctness of the vision which 
I had had concerning it, I knew the place the instant that I arrived 
there." He then relates that the golden plates and other objects 
buried with them were shown him by the angel, who informed 
him, however, that he would not be allowed to take them away 
until that date four years thereafter. However, on the anniver- 
sary of that day, during the next three years, Smith visited the 
place, and, finally, on Sept. 22, 1827, was given possession of the 
plates, the " interpreters " (the prophetic " Urim and Thum- 
mim ") and other objects concealed with them. Smith's account 
of this event is thus given in his own words : 

"At length the time arrived for obtaining the plates, the Urim and 
Thummim, and the Breastplate. . . . The same heavenly messenger de- 
livered them up to me with this charge: that I should be responsible 
for them ; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect 
of mine, I should be cut off ; but that if I would use all my endeavors to 
preserve them, until he, the messenger, should call for them, they should 
be protected. 



THE BOOK OF MORMON 27 

" I soon found out the reason why I had received such strict charges 
to keep them safe, and why it was that the messenger had said that 
when I had done what was required at my hand, he would call for them. 
For no sooner was it known that I had them, than the most strenuous 
exertions were used to get them from me. Every stratagem that could 
be invented was resorted to for that purpose. The persecution became 
more bitter and severe than before, and multitudes were on the alert 
continually to get them from me if possible. But by the wisdom of God, 
they remained safe in my hands, until I had accomplished by them what 
was required at my hand. When, according to arrangements, the mes- 
senger called for them, I delivered them up to him ; and he has them 
in his charge until this day. — History of the Church, Vol I, pp. 1S-19. 

The persecutions mentioned became finally so severe that 
Smith and his wife were obliged to remove from Manchester, 
New York, to Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. In his re- 
moval he was assisted by the generosity of Martin Harris, a well- 
to-do farmer of Palmyra, who, although but recently become 
acquainted with Smith, had given him $50 for his expenses. 
Later, after Smith had made a " transcript " of some of the 
characters, said to appear on the plates, Harris took it to New 
York, and showed it to Dr. Charles Anthon and Dr. Samuel L. 
Mitchill, leading scholars and educators of that city. According 
to the story told by Harris, Prof. Anthon declared that the let- 
ters on the transcript " were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac 
[Syriac?], and Arabic," and that the purported translations were 
correct, wherever attached to the professed originals. Anthon 
subsequently denied Harris' statements, but, whatever may have 
occurred, the fact remains that Harris returned to Smith con- 
vinced of the truth of his claims, and ready to assist in the work 
of translating the plates, both by personal labor in writing at 
Smith's dictation and by the contribution of funds. All this 
may be attributed to " hypnotic influence," but such explanation 
seems somewhat " far-fetched," particularly in view of the fact 
that the supposed object of Harris' " investigation " was to dis- 
cover whether investment of money in the publication of the book 
would be advisable. However, the story may best be told in the 
words of the principals. Harris' account, as given by Smith in 
his journal, is as follows: 

" I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters which 
had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Professor Charles 
Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments. Professor 
Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he 
had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those 
which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, 
Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters. 
He gave me a certificate, certifying to the people of Palmyra that they 
were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had 
been translated was also correct. I took the certificate and put it into 
my pocket, and was just leaving the house, when Mr. Anthon called me 



28 THE REAL MORMONISM 

back, and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold 
plates in the place where he found them. I answered that an angel of 
God had revealed it unto him. He then said to me, ' Let me see that 
certificate.' I accordingly took it out of my pocket and gave it to him, 
when he took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such 
thing now as ministering of angels, and that if I would bring the 
plates to him, he would translate them." — Ibid. p. 20. 

In opposition to this statement of Harris', there are two letters 
ascribed to Prof. Anthon, which give his version of the story. 
They may be quoted in part as follows: 

"The whole story about my pronouncing the Mormon inscription to 
be reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics is perfectly false. Some years ago, 
a plain, apparently simple-hearted farmer called on me with a note from 
Dr. Mitchill, of our city, now dead, requesting me to decipher, if 
possible, the paper which the farmer would hand me. . . . The paper 
in question was, in fact, a singular scroll. It consisted of all kinds of 
singular characters, disposed in columns, and had evidently been pre- 
pared by some person who had before him at the time a book containing 
various alphabets; Greek and Hebrew letters, crosses and flourishes; 
Roman letters inverted or placed sideways were arranged and placed in 
perpendicular columns, and the whole ended in a rude delineation of a 
circle, divided into various compartments, arched with various strange 
marks, and evidently copied after the Mexican calendar, given by Hum- 
boldt, but copied in such a way as not to betray the source whence it was 
derived." — Letter to E. D. Howe, Feb. 17, 1834. 

" Many years ago — the precise date I do not now recollect, — a plain- 
looking countryman called upon me with a letter from Dr. Samuel L. 
Mitchill, requesting me to examine, and give my opinion upon a certain 
paper, marked with various characters, which the doctor confessed he 
could not decipher, and which the bearer of the note was very anxious 
to have explained. . . . The characters were arranged in columns, like 
the Chinese mode of writing, and presented the most singular medley 
that I ever beheld. Greek, Hebrew and all sorts of letters, more or less 
distorted, either through unskillfulness or from actual design, were 
intermingled with sundry delineations of half moons, stars, and other 
natural objects, and the whole ended with a rude representation of the 
Mexican zodiac. . . . On my telling the bearer of the paper that an 
attempt had been made to impose on him and defraud him of his prop- 
erty, he requested me to give him my opinion in writing about the paper 
which he had shown to me. I did so without hesitation, partly for the 
man's sake, and partly to let the individual 'behind the curtain' [Smith] 
see that his trick was discovered. The import of what I wrote was, as 
far as I can now recollect, simply this, that the marks in the paper 
appeared to be merely an imitation of various alphabetical characters, 
and had, in my opinion, no meaning at all connected with them." — 
Letter to Rev. T. W. Coit {New Rochelle, New York), April 3, 1841. 

These variant accounts have been quoted frequently by writers 
on both sides of the perennial Mormon " controversy " — the Mor- 
mons, on the one hand, usually accepting Harris' version, and their 
critics, on the other, construing Prof. Anthon's characterizations 
into a complete " expert condemnation " of the existence of the 
plates of Mormon and of Smith's honesty in the matter of their 
professed translation or transcription. As may be reasonably 



THE BOOK OF MORMON 29 

held, however, both conclusions are only partially warranted by 
the probable facts. Thus, as a careful scholar, it is extremely 
unlikely that Prof. Anthon remarked definitely that the " transla- 
tion of such of them as had been translated " was correct ; since 
his knowledge of Egyptian, or " reformed Egyptian " — a term 
proposed by some writers for Demotic or Hieratic writing — is not 
known to have been such as would have enabled him to read such 
texts off-hand. Conversely, also, the remarks in which both the 
witnesses agree, to the effect that the inscription was a medley of 
" all sorts of letters," presumably copied, as Anthon suggests, 
from a "book containing various alphabets," may not be taken 
as a definite condemnation of the transcription ; since, as may be 
readily verified, a document in Hieratic or Demotic Egyptian 
script, particularly when copied by one unskilled in, or unaccus- 
tomed to, copying such writings, could very easily be made to 
answer to precisely the description given by Prof. Anthon. 
Such scripts differ widely from the Hieroglyphic, and so closely 
resemble archaic forms of several Semitic alphabets that some 
theorists, notably Isaac Taylor, have suggested that such orig- 
inated in some earlier forms of the Hieratic style. 

Unfortunately, the paper examined by Prof. Anthon has not 
been preserved for us, but another alleged transcription of the 
characters on the plates of Mormon has been shown by several 
writers. While certainly a " screed of indefinite origin," it more 
closely suggests Egyptian Hieratic than " Greek, Hebrew," or 
any other script, even " Assyriac." If copied from any book 
" containing various alphabets," as Prof. Anthon suggests, it is 
quite reasonable to suppose that some form of Egyptian writing 
also was included. The identity of this " book " must be some- 
what doubtful, since few, if any, available to the general reader 
at that date (1827), gave very definite information on Egyptian 
writing, unless, indeed, we except the supplement of the Ency- 
clopedia Britannica, issued in 1819, and containing an article on 
the Egyptian language by Dr. Thomas Young. It is easier to 
suggest possible sources of a man's information, however, than 
to prove that he ever used them. We might assume, also, that 
such a person as Smith is said to have been — " ignorant," " vaga- 
bondish," " dreamy," " epileptic " and " hypnotic " — might have 
assumed that any scrawl he might be pleased to make would pass 
for " reformed Egyptian," or anything else he might choose to 
call it. That such a person would ever think of consulting a 
" book containing various alphabets " is unlikely. 

Whatever may be the real facts regarding the interview of 
Martin Harris with Prof. Anthon — whether Anthon gave him 
a written " certificate," as he acknowledges in his letter to Coit 



3 o THE REAL MORMONISM 

and denies in his letter to Howe ; or whether, or not, his " warn- 
ings " to Harris were of a very definite and emphatic description 
■ — the fact remains that, on his return to Harmony, Harris en- 
tered upon the work of transcribing the " translation," as dic- 
tated by the Prophet. Evidently, he either understood that 
Anthon had endorsed the translation, as he states, or else, as is 
equally probable, he was not exactly " overawed " by the per- 
sonality and opinions even of so great a scholar. After tran- 
scribing 116 pages of Smith's dictation, as will be explained later, 
Harris discontinued his work, and was, for some time, partially 
estranged from the Prophet. This, however, had no effect on 
his faith, and we find him later one of the three witnesses to the 
Book of Mormon, and also mortgaging his farm to defray the 
cost of its printing. 

As to the manner in which, according to various accounts, the 
translation of the ancient plates was accomplished, there seems 
to be some variation in details. The story popularly accepted is 
that Smith sat behind a screen or blanket hung from the ceiling 
of his room, and dictated the sentences, " as they were given to 
him," to his amanuensis who sat on the other side of this parti- 
tion. This gave him the opportunity, as alleged by numerous 
critics, to read from the manuscript of Spaulding's romance, 
as edited by Rigdon, thus carrying out the story of the golden 
plates of Mormon. Why, however, even the most arrant knave, 
bent on deceiving the people, should have resorted to all this 
trouble, which occupied months at a time with hard work, it is 
difficult to understand. Spaulding's edited manuscript, or a 
transcription of it made by himself, would have served the pur- 
pose of printer's copy quite as well as the one laboriously tran- 
scribed by his amanuensis. Admitting the truth of any of the 
accounts which we have, we might seem justified in asserting 
that there could have been other, and quite as good reasons for 
the method of "translation" adopted, as any that these hostile 
critics have suggested. What such " good reasons " may have 
been may not be perfectly obvious. On this matter Roberts says : 
"The sum of the whole matter, then, concerning the manner of 
translating the sacred record of the Nephites, according to the testi- 
mony of the only witnesses competent to testify in the matter (Smith, 
Cowdery, Whitmer and Harris) is : # With the Nephite record was 
deposited a curious instrument, consisting of two transparent stones, 
set in the rim of a bow, somewhat resembling spectacles, but larger, 
called by the ancient Hebrews 'Urim and Thummim/ but by the 
Nephites ' Interpreters.' . . . The Nephite characters with the English in- 
terpretation appeared in the sacred instrument; the Prophet would pro- 
nounce the English translation to his scribe, which, when correctly written, 
would disappear and the other characters with their interpretation take 
their place, and so on until the work was completed. 



THE BOOK OF MORMON, 31 

"It should not be supposed, however, that this translation, though 
accomplished ... as stated above, was merely a mechanical procedure ; 
that no faith, or mental or spiritual effort was required on the Prophet's 
part; that the instruments did all, while he who used them did nothing 
but look and repeat mechanically what he saw there reflected. ... It 
required the utmost concentration of mental and spiritual force possessed 
by the Prophet, in order to exercise the gift of translation through the 
means of the sacred instruments provided for that work." — History of 
the Mormon Church (Americana Magazine/' Oct., 1909, pp. 808-809). 

Of course, the story as accepted by Mormons, involves a dis- 
tinct element of the supernatural, or, at least, of the superhuman, 
and this is supposed to constitute its sufficient refutation. It is 
not too much to claim, however, even in these days of " rational- 
ism " and " naturalism," when the attribute of " omniscience," 
formerly supposed to belong to God, is unhesitatingly ascribed to 
man, that any such " refutation " is no refutation at all ; and for 
the very excellent reason that, even now, we know no more about 
the things outside the realm of our immediate experience than 
did our remotest ancestors — perhaps, indeed, not quite as much. 
It is significant, however, that the most confidently urged " ex- 
planations " of Smith's performances are in no sense more prob- 
able, or even credible, than that offered by himself and his asso- 
ciates. His most " rationalistic " and " scientific " critics have 
left the matter as much " in the air " as it always was. This we 
shall see later. Thus, although many of the discussions on this 
matter of " translation," as given by some of his advocates, par- 
takes of what is often characterized as " sophistical reasoning," 
the fact remains that there is positively nothing more to be said 
against their arguments than can be said by the most ignorant 
doubter of all that is not understood. 

Among such curious situations is the condition of Martin 
Harris' departure as Smith's scribe. According to the story 
told by all historians of the matter, after Harris had completed 
the transcription of 116 pages, he importuned the Prophet for 
the privilege of taking them home to Palmyra and exhibiting 
them to his wife, his brother, and other members of his imme- 
diate family, and the request was finally granted upon the strict 
agreement that they should be shown to no one beside. Harris 
broke his promise, however, and, as a result, the pages disap- 
peared, and were never seen again. One supposition has been 
that they were stolen by enemies of Smith and his " work," al- 
though some have asserted that they were burned by Harris' 
wife, as a protest against his determination to finance the publi- 
cation of the completed book. Among other penalties visited 
upon the Prophet, in addition to his mere annoyance at the care- 
lessness and broken faith of his scribe, were the withdrawal by 



32 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the heavenly messenger of the sacred plates and " interpreters," 
and the cessation of his own power of receiving revelations from 
God. As a result of his repentance, however, he was restored 
to divine favor and privilege, and the work was ordered resumed. 
On this episode Roberts says: 

"All the sacred things were now restored to the Prophet, and upon 
inquiry of the Lord through Urim and Thummim he received another 
revelation in which the designs of those who had stolen the manuscript 
from Martin Harris were made known. Those designs aimed at nothing 
less than the destruction of the work Joseph Smith had in hand. Hav- 
ing now in their possession so large a part of the ancient record, they 
would hold it and see if the Prophet in a second translation could repro- 
duce it verbatim et literatim, if not, they would say he had no gift for 
he could not translate the same matter twice alike, therefore he had 
made false pretensions; he was a false prophet, and his work must be 
discredited. If, on the other hand, he should reproduce the matter 
verbatim et literatim then they had the manuscript of the first translation 
in their hands, and could change that and claim that the prophet evidently 
could not translate the same matter twice alike, hence had not translated 
by inspiration, hence had no supernatural gift, hence was not a Prophet 
of God, but an imposter." — ■ Ibid. p. 795. 

Although the conditions set forth by Roberts have been in- 
terpreted by various critics of Smith's claims as proof that the 
Prophet was seriously embarrassed by the loss of the manu- 
script, it seems to furnish a very good refutation of the con- 
fidently-urged Spaulding authorship theory. If, as alleged, 
Smith had before him the copy of Spaulding's romance, with 
Sidney Rigdon's editions, and had dictated it to his amanuensis, 
what difficulty, beyond the work involved, could there be in the 
way of reproducing the exact, or approximate wording — for 
he may have made changes as he read along — of the original? 
Of course, as has been said, also, he may have destroyed the 
original, as the work of transcription progressed, and for this 
reason he could not reproduce it. If, however, we stop to con- 
sider all that might have been done, or that one could suppose 
was done, we have attained no nearer approach to certainty than 
we had at the very start. Nor is the situation materially im- 
proved by the usual line of reflections on this incident. Some 
Mormon writers have treated the matter of Smith's " transla- 
tion " in a philosophical manner. Thus, in commenting on the 
criticisms of Rev. Mr. Lamb, author of The Gold Bible, Prof. 
N. L. Nelson writes: 

" In a consideration of this question [' How the Book of Mormon was 
Translated'] the fundamental proposition — that on which the Mormon 
and his opponent must alike agree — is the fact that, howsoever he came 
by his material, Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon, without 
apparent hesitation, as fast as a scribe could write it in long hand. 
There is no chance for error on this point. The entire Whitmer family, 
besides Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and Joseph's wife, sat and 



THE BOOK OF MORMON, 33 

listened, or had free access to listen, to the record as it grew day by day 
during the entire month of June, 1829. . . . 

" My idea is, then, that the translation of the Book of Mormon is the 
joint product of two men — Joseph Smith and most probably the Angel 
Moroni; that the angel was commissioned by God to act for the dead 
quite as truly as was the Prophet for the living ; that such, in fact, is the 
meaning of the words spoken to the Three Witnesses, declaring that 
the record had been translated ' by the gift and power of God.' 

" But how, the reader is ready to ask. Nothing could be simpler, as 
I view it. Moroni, being familiar with the characters on the plates, 
read them character by character; that is to say, he looked at the 
symbols and thereby awakened or aroused in his mind the thought cor- 
responding to the symbols — for that is precisely what reading means. 
The thought so aroused passed by the power of the Spirit directly into 
the mind of the Prophet, who in turn rendered it into such English 
symbols as were at his command. Nor did the thought alone so pass: 
the very image of the character that held the attention of Moroni was 
flashed into Joseph's mind and visualized before him, just as David 
Whitmer says. What then would be more natural, than that the English 
symbols corresponding to the thought in Joseph's mind should also be 
projected before him as a visual image? This may account for the 
double line of symbols, ancient and modern, which was seen by the 
Prophet in the darkness surrounding the Urim and Thummim. . . . 

"Fortunately, science has taught us enough concerning^ the laws of 
thought communication, — .that is to say, concerning the incipient science 
of telepathy, — that no fact in the above theory need stagger the student. 
Stranger things are taking place to-day in the laboratories of psychic 
research. By ' stranger ' I mean merely that telepathic communication 
takes place under circumstances less simple and direct ; not that scientific 
research has yet evolved telepathically — or probably will evolve during 
the next century — anything to compare with the Book of Mormon either 
in extent or definiteness. My idea is simply that if man has demon- 
strated the power of telepathy to exist, then it is surely worthy of faith 
that God could so shape conditions as to make the communication of 
the Book of Mormon possible in the manner I have suggested." — The 
Mormon Point of View, pp. 124-130. 

However this theory of Prof. Nelson's may affect the general 
reader, who, in the average, is likely to depreciate all arguments 
in favor of Mormonism, it is interesting to remark in passing 
that the latest, and, as considered in many quarters, the " most 
scientific " theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon — that 
it was the product of " automatic mental operations " of some 
kind — involves very nearly a similar line of suppositions. Nor 
does it seem any better justified on the basis of the common 
experiences of humanity. Furthermore, both should account 
very similarly for the phraseology and ideas of the work itself. 
Thus, continuing from Nelson's work: 

"The second question relates to Joseph Smith's mental qualifications. 
I have suggested that Moroni communicated with him through a medium 
common alike to the inhabitants of heaven, earth, and hell — the medium 
of thought divorced from all symbol. His part was consequently to 
put the thought so/ received, into English words; and in doing so his 
personal equation would inevitably be stamped upon the translation, as 



34 THE REAL MORMONISM 

we have seen that it was. It is- important to consider now what that 
equation was, especially with reference to the use of words. 

"In respect of diction, writers are of two extreme types, with all 
degrees of overlapping. The one extreme is well represented by Henry 
Ward Beecher, who read or listened with such intensity that he could 
never quote : the phraseology of others having melted down like slag in 
the white heat of his mind and yielded up the pure gold of their ideas. 
When such a man writes, every phrase is coined anew and therefore 
stamped indelibly with the writer's individuality. 

"The other extreme is represented by every beginner in the thought 
world and, for that matter, by nine-tenths of those who grow old in it. 
They gather ideas with more or less avidity, both from books and men ; 
but they stow away these ideas without undressing them, — boots and 
all, so to speak. Consequently, when these try to write, they proceed 
from phrase to phrase, rather than from word to word; and there is 
always a certain conventionality or triteness in their style, — a resem- 
blance to others in phraseology which would convict them of plagiarism, 
should their productions be compared critically with the authors they 
have read. 

"To this latter class belongs, as I have intimated, every tyro in 
composition, and therefore Joseph Smith ; at least this was probably true 
of him during that early period when he was put to the stress of 
inventing the style of the Book of Mormon. As long as the thought 
communicated by Moroni ran along in simple narrative, the experiences 
of his own life furnished the Prophet with an original diction ; but the 
moment it ascended into abstract realms, he had to draw upon his stock 
of phrases — upon that part of his vocabulary which, in the language 
of psychology, had not been apperceived, or melted down in the crucible 
of individual experience. When we consider that this part of his vo- 
cabulary had been stored almost exclusively by contact with ministers 
of the Gospel, and through reading the King James' version of the Bible, 
we have an adequate explanation of why scriptural phraseology enters 
so largely into the style of the Book of Mormon. . . . Had the thought 
of the Book of Mormon been flashed into a mind like that of Webster 
or Beecher, it would undoubtedly have been moulded into forms of 
expression which would have left no chance for the charge of plagiar- 
ism. As it was, the thought could do nothing else than take the line of 
least resistance, and that was the line of expression familiar to the 
translator through contact with the King James' version of the scriptures. 

"As before suggested, from the fact that the witnesses of the mode 
of translation have nowhere said that Joseph stopped to read passages 
from the Bible, it is fair to assume that those chapters which occur 
identical in both books, were received and dictated by the same tele- 
pathic communion as the rest of the matter ; that is, the Prophet himself 
did not probably know, at the time of translating, how the result would 
compare with the English version of the Bible. 

" Are we then to assume that the Scriptures as known to the Nephites 
were identical, in form of expression, with the scriptures in the King 
James' version? By no means. That the thought was the same we may 
well believe, since this is God's part of scripture. There is surely no 
difficulty in holding that Christ would give the Sermon on the Mount 
in practically the same mental concepts to the Nephites that He did to 
the Jews. Now, had Joseph never read the English version, he would 
have been obliged to coin these concepts anew as best he could ; in which 
case his rendering would have differed from Matthew's as much at 
least as do those of the other three evangelists ; but even if we suppose 



THE BOOK OF MORMON 35 

he had read Matthew's only once, we must allow that the thought would 
take the channel broken in preference to one unbroken, unless the 
translator strongly willed otherwise. 

"As an instance of the truth that probably no impression on the 
consciousness is ever completely effaced, Mr. Hudson, in his epoch-making 
book, The Law of Psychic Phenomena, relates that a servant-girl, 
when put into the clairvoyant state, astonished her hearers by reciting 
perfectly a Greek poem in the original Attic tongue. Theosophists 
claimed the circumstance as evidence of re-incarnation; but it was 
finally explained that ten years previous she had been present, dusting a 
certain library, while a noted scholar had recited the poem to a friend. 
Psychic research reveals many similar instances. It is not difficult to 
believe, therefore, that Joseph's mind would without his knowledge 
retain whole chapters of the Bible, which would spring verbatim unto 
consciousness when brought into association with the thought that 
originally inspired them. This view requires that quotations and so- 
called plagiarisms shall always be from the King James' version — the 
only Bible probably known to the early life of the Prophet, — and this, 
as we have seen, was the case." — Ibid. pp. 132-137. 

Of course, no mind already prejudiced against Mormonism 
and all that belongs to it can be expected to see in this explana- 
tion anything other than an elaborate attempt to justify some- 
thing confidently classed as a " fraud," but fairness requires 
that we acknowledge the fact that the conditions outlined by 
Prof. Nelson — with the sole exception of the alleged activities 
of an invisible personage, angel or otherwise — are a part of the 
common stock of phenomena which are receiving serious con- 
sideration at the hands of our foremost psychologists at the 
present day. With any person other than Joseph Smith the 
explanation would be highly acceptable to our scientific au- 
thorities, who would, undoubtedly, admit the activity of the 
Angel Moroni, in the character of some kind of indefinite " con- 
trol," presumably, on their theory, a phase of the " subliminal 
self " or a manifestation of a " second personality." This, at 
least, would be the method by which they would explain the 
facts with which Prof. Nelson deals. They would also accept 
his proffered explanation of the presence of lengthy quoted pass- 
ages from the Bible, nor would they revert to the theory of 
" plagiarism " until all the phases of " automatic reproduction 
of memory records " had been exhausted. Indeed, candidly 
speaking, there would seem to be some demand for such an ex- 
planation of the presence of these passages, because of the fact 
that, while the Book of Mormon shows no very large or varied 
vocabulary, there is ample evidence that the writer, or writers, 
were fully able to express their ideas " in their own words " 
and forms, and it can be no otherwise than surprising that, in 
the cases of the lengthy quotations from the prophet Isaiah 
and the New Testament, the essential ideas are not given in 



36 THE REAL MORMONISM 

new form, rather than in direct quotation. Nor can we urge 
Smith's alleged " ignorance," or any other evil quality, which we 
may assume that he possessed, as a sufficient and final explana- 
tion of this fact. The science of psychology must insist that 
the charge of " fraud " or " plagiarism " be relegated, until all 
conditions be more fully analyzed. 

Although such " scientific attention " as has been accorded 
the case of Joseph Smith goes very far toward discrediting the 
theory that his activities may be classed as mere conscious and 
deliberate fraud, it seems necessary to outline the several ex- 
planations, so-called, of the Book of Mormon and its origin. 
Thus, for example, a certain Lamb, like several other hostile 
critics, has argued that the book cannot be what it professes, a 
divine record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of 
America, because of its defects of style, its " exaggerated mir- 
acles " and the essential " improbability " of most of its narra- 
tions. These conclusions they profess to argue by comparison 
with the Bible, which, by their showing, is perfect in literary 
style, " dignified " in all its accounts of miraculous events — 
all of which, as they say, were for the definite end of convincing 
people of the truths of God — and so reasonable and obvious in 
all its professed historic narrations that no one could doubt. 
It seems unnecessary to say that all such attempted criticism is 
essentially and irredeemably unfair and disingenuous, in the 
mere fact that it applies to the Book of Mormon — no matter 
what may be the real facts regarding it — the very line of 
criticisms that have been made against the veracity and cred- 
ibility of the Bible by the " infidels " of all ages. Thus, we 
need only compare the amused reflections of Mr. Lamb on the 
extraordinary rate of increase of the inhabitants of America 
during the first century, or so, after the arrival of the first col- 
ony, about 600 B. C., with the numerous hostile criticisms of 
the Biblical account of the rapid increase of the Israelites in 
Egypt from the time of Joseph to that of Moses. It is well to 
remark that, if the Bible is not to be condemned because of the 
difficulties of statement and the defects of style repeatedly in- 
dicated by hostile critics, it is obviously inadmissable to use the 
same line of criticism against any other book claiming dignity 
as a revelation from God, or even as history. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE BEGINNINGS OF MORMONISM 

In entering upon an examination of the alleged supernatural 
elements in Mormon history, we may quote from Joseph 
Smith's own words describing the exhibition of the golden 
plates to the "three witnesses," Oliver Cowdery, David Whit- 
mer, and Martin Harris: 

" We four . . . agreed to retire into the woods, and try to obtain, by 
fervent and humble prayer, the fulfilment of the promises given . _. . 
that they should have a view of the plates. We accordingly made choice 
of a piece of woods convenient to Mr. Whitmer's house, to which we 
retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith to 
Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of these promises. 

" According to previous arrangement, I commenced by vocal prayer to 
our Heavenly Father, and was followed by each of the others in suc- 
cession. We did not at the first trial, however, obtain any answer or 
manifestation of divine favor in our behalf. We again observed the 
same order of prayer, each calling on and praying fervently to God in 
rotation, but with the same result as before. 

" Upon this, our second failure, Martin Harris proposed that he 
should withdraw himself from us, believing, as he expressed himself, 
that his presence was the cause of our not obtaining what we wished 
for. He accordingly withdrew from us, and we knelt down again, and 
had not been many minutes engaged in prayer, when presently we beheld 
a light above us in the air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an 
angel stood before us. In his hands he held the plates which we had 
been praying for these to have a view of. He turned over the leaves 
one by one, so that we could see them, and discern the engravings thereon 
distinctly. He then addressed himself to David Whitmer, and said, 
' David, blessed is the Lord, and he that keeps His commandments ' ; 
when, immediately afterwards, we heard a voice from out of the bright 
light above us, saying, ' These plates have been revealed by the power of 
God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The transla- 
tion of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to 
bear record of what you now see and hear/ 

" I now left David and Oliver, and went in pursuit of Martin Harris, 
whom I found at a considerable distance, fervently engaged in prayer. 
He soon told me, however, that he had not yet prevailed with the Lord, 
and earnestly requested me to join him in prayer, that he also might 
realize the same blessings which we had just received. We accordingly 
joined in prayer, and ultimately obtained our desires, for before we had 
yet finished, the same vision was opened to our view, at least it was again 
opened to me, and I once more beheld and heard the same things; 

37 



38 THE REAL MORMONISM 

whilst at the same moment, Martin Harris cried out, apparently in an 
ecstasy of joy, "Tis enough; 'tis enough; mine eyes have beheld; mine 
eyes have beheld'; and jumping up, he shouted ' Hozanna,' blessing 
God, and otherwise rejoiced exceedingly." — History of the Church, Vol. 
I, PP. 54-55, 

As may be noted by any reader who has had the patience to 
follow us to this point, the account of the appearance of the 
angelic visitant here given agrees in all substantial particulars 
with that of the second vision of Joseph Smith in 1823. Al- 
though he mentions no physical effects occurring at the time or 
later, it might be held that, if the former experience is to be 
explained, as some hold, as a " visual aura of epilepsy," * this 
one also is in the same category. And such an explanation 
might be advanced, " for all that it is worth," if the three wit- 
nesses could be assumed fictitious personages, or so obscure and 
unknown that their alleged experiences might be confidently 
described, without fear of contradiction. As it is, however, 
they are perfectly well known, from the hour of this visional 
experience to the day of their deaths. Furthermore, they have 
testified to the reality of this experience, as they believed it to 
be, at any rate, and in no equivocal language. 

On the publication of the Book of Mormon the famous " Tes- 
timony of the Three Witnesses " appeared as a sort of intro- 
duction on a page following the title. As may be seen, it sub- 
stantially endorses the description of the occurrence just given 
in the words of Joseph Smith. It is as follows: 

"Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people unto 
whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of God the 
Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain 
this record . . . and we also know that they have been translated by 
the gift and power of God, for His voice hath declared it unto us; 
wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also 
testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; 
and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of 
man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God 
came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that 
we beheld and saw the plates and the engravings thereon ; and we know 
that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that we beheld and bear record that these things are true; and it is 
marvelous in our eyes, nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded 
us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the 
commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things." 

In dealing with the several visions and theophanies accom- 
panying the founding of Mormonism and the " coming forth 
of the Book of Mormon," we have a series of situations that 
fairly challenge the ingenuity of hostile critics to produce a 
satisfactory rationalistic explanation. It is easy to suppose and 
assert that the witnesses to this book, together with Sidney 

* This theory is discussed in a later chapter. 



BEGINNINGS OF MORMONISMi 39 

Rigdon, who has been credited with a large share in its produc- 
tion, were all accomplices of Joseph Smith in the perpetration 
of an enormous hoax, out of which all hoped " to make money." 
The fact that most of these people were " ignorant," hence, 
probably, also " mercenary " has been urged as a good explana- 
tion of their complicity in an unworthy scheme. We might 
readily accept such an explanation as tentative, at least, if 
these men had continued to be the associates and beneficiaries of 
Joseph Smith during the remainder of their lives. As a matter 
of fact, the reverse is the case. The three witnesses and Rigdon 
— the " arch-conspirators," as alleged — were all cut off from 
the Mormon Church; two of them, Harris and Cowdery, be- 
came bitter and outspoken enemies of Smith, while Rigdon with- 
drew in surly disaffection. If, then, men of their advertised 
character and intelligence had thus separated from their leader, 
whom they knew to be a fraud, what more probable than that 
they should recant their former " testimony," and denounce 
him ? This would seem to be the most usual procedure for men 
" bent on revenge " ; also, particularly probable, in view of the 
fact that all of them were more or less severely censured and 
characterized by the Church authorities, as persons of bad 
morals and contemptible lives. Other lesser offenders and 
apostates from this Church — such as Philastus Hurlburt and 
John C. Bennett — who, presumably, knew far less about Smith 
and his history than any of his earlier associates, made strenu- 
ous efforts to wreck his work and ruin his reputation. Not one 
of the three witnesses, however, ever denied the truth of his 
original testimony : as a matter of fact all reaffirmed it in strong 
terms years afterward. Even Sidney Rigdon, although him- 
self an ambitious and violent character, never sought to recoup 
his own position, or to discredit Smith by revealing any part of 
what he might be supposed to have known about the origin of 
the Book of Mormon, according to certain popular and highly 
esteemed theories. 

" Respecting the witnesses to whom the Angel Moroni showed the 
Plates, Mr. Linn [author of The Story of the Mormons] has this to 
say : ' Surely if any three men in the Church should remain steadfast, 
mighty pillars of support for the Prophet in his future troubles, it 
should be these chosen witnesses to the actual existence of the Golden 
Plates. Yet every one of them became an apostate, and every one of 
them was loaded with all the opprobrium that the Church could pile upon 
him/ Yet had they remained faithful to the Church, what would have 
been Mr. Linn's comment? Would he not have said: 'Of course; 
could you expect anything else from men who consented to remain the 
tools of an unscrupulous hierarchy? These men have everything to 
gain and nothing to lose by maintaining their false testimony ! ' Clearly, 
so far as the existence of the Plates is concerned, the evidence could 
not be made stronger than by their turning away from the Church and 



40 THE REAL MORMONISM 

still remaining true, as they did, to their testimony. The temptation to 
injure the Church by recanting, must, at a certain period in the life of 
each, have been very strong; yet the conviction that they had actually 
seen and handled the plates remained stronger still." — N. L. Nelson 
{The Mormon Point of View, pp. 189-190.) 

Although, as alleged by one of the multitudinous " affidavits " 
that seem to be the proper accompaniments of Mormon history 
— somewhat as " blackfish " accompany a whale — that Oliver 
Cowdery, after his withdrawal from the Mormon Church in 
1838, united with the Methodist Protestant denomination, mak- 
ing a public recantation, in which he " admitted his error and 
implored forgiveness," it is certain, nevertheless, that he re- 
turned to the Mormons in 1848, and a short time before his 
death publicly affirmed his belief that the Book of Mormon is 
true, and that " it contains the everlasting Gospel." 

Martin Harris also returned to the Church, after years of 
separation, and died in Utah. According to accounts, he re- 
peatedly reaffirmed the truth of his original story, describing the 
scene minutely. David Whitmer never reunited with the 
Church, but, until the day of his death, continued firm in his 
belief that the vision of the angel was a true one. In an inter- 
view with the noted Apostles, Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, 
at Richmond, Missouri, Sept. 7, 1878, he stated that he saw the 
plates and the angel at this time, and added: 

"The fact is, it was just as though Joseph, Oliver, and I were sitting 
just here on a log, when we were overshadowed by a light. It was not 
like the light of the sun nor like that of a fire, but more glorious and 
beautiful. It extended away around us, I cannot tell how far, but in 
the midst of this light about as far off as he sits [pointing to John C. 
Whitmer, sitting a few feet from him], there appeared, as it were, a table 
with many records or plates upon it, besides the plates of the Book of 
Mormon, also the sword of Laban, the directors, i.e., the ball which 
Lehi had, and the interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I saw this 
bed [striking the bed beside him with his hand], and I heard the voice 
of the Lord, as distinctly as I ever heard anything in my life, declaring 
that the records of the plates of the Book of Mormon were translated 
by the gift and power of God. . . . Our testimony as recorded in the 
Book of Mormon is strictly and absolutely true, just as it was written." 
— Millennial Star, Vol. XL, Nos. 49, 50. 

In his discussion of the " three witnesses," Mr. Riley quotes 
a letter from Whitmer's grandson, George W. Schweich (Sept. 
22, 1899), which reads, as follows: 

"I have begged him (Whitmer) to unfold the fraud in the case and 
he had all to gain and nothing to lose but speak the word if he thought 
so — but he has described the scene to me many times, of his vision 
about noon time in an open pasture — there is only one explanation 
barring an actual miracle and that is this — if that vision was not real 
it was hypnotism, it was real to grandfather in fact" — Founder of 
Mormonism f pp. 219-220, note* 



BEGINNINGS OF MORMONISM 41 

Mr. Schweich is also quoted as stating that Mr. Whitmer re- 
quired that there be inscribed on his tombstone the epitaph, " The 
Record of the Jews and the Record of the Nephites are one. 
Truth is eternal." In addition to these testimonies of Whit- 
mer's unfailing faith in the reality of his vision, we find his pub- 
lished statement, in 1887, one year before his death: 

"It is recorded in the American Cyclopedia and the Encyclopedia 
Britannica, that I, David Whitmer, have denied by testimony as one of 
the Three Witnesses to the divinity of the Book of Mormon; and that 
the other two Witnesses, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, denied 
their testimony to that book. I will say once more to all mankind, that 
I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof. I 
also testify to the world, that neither Oliver Cowdery nor Martin Harris 
ever at any time denied their testimony. They both died reaffirming 
the truth of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon." — David 
Whitmer {Address to all Believers in Christ, p. 8). 

Commenting on the fact that the three witnesses maintained 
a consistent adherence to their original testimony, B. H. Rob- 
erts, writes, as follows: 

"The trying circumstances under which the Witnesses persisted in 
maintaining the truth of that testimony is also known. _ Neither separa- 
tion from Joseph Smith as a companion and associate, nor excom- 
munication from the body religious, brought into existence as a sequence, 
one may say, of the coming forth of the Nephite Record, affected them 
as Witnesses. In the Church and while out of it they steadfastly main- 
tained what they first published to the world respecting the Book of 
Mormon. They never attempted to resolve the appearance of the angel, 
the exhibition of the plates, or hearing the voice of the Lord into hallu- 
cination of the mind; nor did they ever attempt to refer this really 
great event to some jugglery on the part of Joseph Smith. They never 
allowed even the possibility of their being mistaken in the matter. They 
saw; they heard; the splendor of God shone upon them; they felt his 
presence. They were not deluded. The several incidents making up 
this great revelation were too palpable to the strongest senses of the 
mind to admit of any doubt as to their reality. The great revelation 
was not given in a dream or vision of the night. There was no mysti- 
cism about it. Nothing unseemly or occult. It was a simple, straight- 
forward, open fact that had taken place before their eyes. The visita- 
tion of the angel as in the broad light of day." — History of the 
Mormon Church {Americana Magazine, Nov. 1909, pp. 911-912). 

While to the general public the testimony of the three wit- 
nesses must be judged as a part of the total grand riddle of 
Joseph Smith, it must be held to embody evidence of some order 
of unusual influence upon their minds, if not, also, upon their 
senses. If we assume with Roberts that it recorded an actual 
divine manifestation, we may concur perfectly in his estimate. 
If, on the other hand, we seek some " rational " explanation, 
we have quite as much to explain and justify to the intelligence 
of the public. Thus on the theory of some writers, the whole 
affair mentioned in the " testimony " was " set and staged " by 



42 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Smith to produce an impression on the minds of his too-confid- 
ing friends; but we must credit him with wonderful skill and 
success as a " stage manager," and could be excused for doubt- 
ing if any " properties " and " business " could be so arranged, 
under the conditions, as to deceive even " ignorant farmers." 
Another theory, as already mentioned, assumes the use of " hyp- 
notism " in the production of this permanent effect upon the minds 
of the witnesses. This, as we have claimed, is also " supposing 
a great deal," even though suggested by Whitmer's grandson, as 
quoted by Riley. 

As may be readily found on study of the subject, the hypnotism 
explanation is no more than an hypothesis, and a very indefinite 
one at that. To assert that it fits the facts is a plain presump- 
tion, even though we have no other explanation to advance in its 
stead. In the first place, there is no evidence before us that 
anything like the ordinary procedures of the hypnotist or mes- 
merist were attempted; and, even if this were the case, as is 
fairly evident to anyone at all familiar with literature on hypno- 
tism, it is by no means an easy feat to control and suggest to 
two subjects at a time, unless previous separate hypnotic states 
have been induced, and definite suggestions for behavior on a 
given occasion made and acted upon. This supposition involves, 
of course, a whole array of things and events entirely unmen- 
tioned in any accounts we have read on the event. As to the 
theory that hallucination may be produced in the waking state 
by strong suggestion we may quote Prof. James, himself a 
careful investigator of the subject: 

" Some subjects seem almost as obedient to suggestion in the waking 
state as in sleep, or even more so, according to certain observers. Not 
only muscular phenomena, but changes of personality and hallucinations 
are recorded as the result of simple affirmation on the operator's part, 
without the previous ceremony of 'magnetizing' or putting into the 
* mesmeric sleep.' These are all trained subjects, however, so far as I 
know, and the affirmation must apparently be accompanied by the patient 
concentrating his attention and gazing, however briefly, into the eyes 
of the operator. It is probable therefore that an extremely rapidly 
induced condition of trance is a prerequisite for success in these experi- 
ments." — • The Principles of Psychology, Vol. II. p. 615. 

Although, as appears in the writings of several of the fore- 
most investigators of hypnotic phenomena, the fact that sensory 
hallucinations and illusions may be produced by suggestion, as 
well as a more or less persistent conviction of their reality, there 
can be no doubt that such delusions, being unreal, or correspond- 
ing to no normal experience, cannot, even with the strongest 
suggestion — or other form of hypnotic influence, if any — be 
made to assume the permanent semblance of reality. The effects 
of the influence, whatever its nature, must eventually wear off, 



BEGINNINGS OF MORMONISM 43 

and become less vivid, in precisely the same fashion that dreams 
lose their definite character in the memory, in the course of years. 
James and others record that the effects of trance suggestion 
have been manifested after periods more or less remote — 
" months or even a year, in one case reported by M. Liegeois " 
— there is no conclusive evidence, even to the present day, that 
such effects may be permanently registered on the brain, to be 
constantly referred to and believed in for over fifty years, as in 
the cases of two of Smiths witnesses. And some such evidence 
is positively essential to the theory. Whatever may be the truth 
of the matter, however, the hypnotic explanation involves many 
difficulties, and cannot be quoted as sufficient and demonstrable. 
At best, it strongly suggests the general tendency of present- 
day learning to assume the finality of our knowledge of even 
doubtful matters, and to label imperfectly reported " cases " as 
" epilepsy," " hypnotism," etc., on the basis of a few symptoms, 
which, constituting the sum of our knowledge of the matter, as 
they do, are quite as compatible with several other explanations. 



CHAPTER V 

JOSEPH SMITH AS THE FIRST PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 

Although the name of Joseph Smith figures largely in litera- 
ture, and although the work inaugurated by him has been vari- 
ously discussed, opposed and argued against, it is a curious fact 
that no systematic account of his career, and no estimate of his 
character and influence, has appeared, except from the pens of 
two classes of writers. The first of these, both in time and 
in the attention secured, are implacable enemies, whose spite and 
prejudice have blinded them to the fact that Smith is entitled to 
be considered as any other human being — on the basis of his 
doings, honestly examined and represented — and have led them 
into espousing the several silly hypothesis which will be dis- 
cussed at a later place. The second class of writers is composed 
of the friends and adherents of the Prophet, whose reverence 
for his memory has moved them to attribute the highest charac- 
ter and the purest motives to him, and to argue confidently for 
all the claims made by and for him. Between these two ex- 
tremes the intelligent mind is left to form its own conclusions, 
entirely unaided, unless it be by the expenditure of pains and 
effort involved in examining and studying the records and litera- 
ture that remain to preserve a first-hand picture of this man and 
his doings. 

There are many things recorded in the history of Smiths 
career that could scarcely be urged as the strongest and most 
convincing evidences of his claims, nor even the most probable 
occurrences. With such matters we are less concerned than 
with the estimate of his significance to the world. Thus, as the 
initiatory move in the foundation of his Church, as is recorded, 
Smith and Cowdery are baptized by order of John the Baptist, 
now a resurrected personage, and are ordained to the " priest- 
hood of Aaron " ; later, also, they are ordained to the " higher 
priesthood," or, as it is called the " priesthood of Melchisedek," 
at the hands of the Apostles Peter, James and John, now also 
" angels," and are given full authority to teach and administer 
the ordinances of religion in the name of Christ. The first 
event is thus recorded in the words of Smith himself : 

44 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 45 

" We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month 
(May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and in- 
quire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we 
found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus 
employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven 
descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he or- 
dained us, saying: 

" Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the 
Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, 
and of the Gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the re- 
mission of sins ; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until 
the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. 

" He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands 
for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us 
hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us di- 
rections that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and afterwards that he 
should baptize me. Accordingly we went and were baptized. I baptized 
him first, and afterwards he baptized me, after which I laid my hands 
upon his head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and after- 
wards he laid his hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthood 
— for so we were commanded. 

"The messenger who visited us on this occasion, and conferred this 
Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called 
John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the di- 
rection of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of 
Melchisedek, which Priesthood he said would in due time be conferred on 
us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oli- 
ver Cowdery) the second. It was on the 15th day of May, 1829, that we 
were ordained under the hand of this messenger and baptized." — History 
of the Church, Vol. L, pp. 30-41. 

As may be readily understood, this account involves quite as 
great an element of the unusual and supernatural as even the 
reported appearances of the Angel Moroni in Smith's visions of 
1823, but without specifying the other extraordinary phenomena 
that might lead a psychologist to attribute the experience to some 
subjective derangements of the senses. Moreover, another 
person, Oliver Cowdery, shares this vision, and makes explicit 
testimony to its reality many years later. The case with him 
is precisely the same as that involved in the testimonies of the 
three witnesses to the Book of Mormon, as already discussed. 
Commenting on this account, Roberts remarks in a note: 

" It may be well at this point to call attention to the singular and im- 
portant fact that the Prophet, neither in his narrative of the above really 
great and dramatic event, nor in any of those great visions and revela- 
tions which precede or follow it, stops to comment or grow eloquent over 
the importance of an administration or the grandeur of an occasion. He 
may never have heard the maxim, ' A true tale speeds best being plainly 
told/ but had he heard of it and adopted it as his motto, he could not 
have followed it more closely than unconsciously he has done in his nar- 
rative. He seems to have but one object in view, and that is to get on 
record the plain truth pertaining to the coming forth of the work of 
God. Oliver Cowdery, however, . . . has left upon record a description 
of the scene and the impressions it left upon his mind." — Ibid., p. 42 note. 



46 THE REAL MORMONISM 

In a public address delivered on the occasion of his return to 
the Church, after a separation of eleven years, in 1848, Cowdery 
expressly reaffirmed his conviction of the reality of this ex- 
perience. Fourteen years before, however, previous to his defec- 
tion from the Church, he had written a full and lively description 
of it, which appeared in the accredited organ of the Church. It 
is partly as follows : 

^ " The Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the con- 
sistent prayer of the humble, after we had called upon him in a fervent 
manner, aside from the abodes of men, condescended to manifest to us 
His will. On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the 
Redeemer spake peace to us, while the veil was parted and the angel of 
God came down clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked 
for message, and the keys of the Gospel of repentance! — What joy! 
What wonder! What amazement! ... As in the 'blaze of day'; yes, 
more — above the glitter of the May sunbeam, which then shed its bril- 
liancy over the face of nature! Then his voice, though mild, pierced to 
the center, and his words, ' I am thy fellow-servant/ dispelled every fear. 
We listened, we gazed, we admired ! 'Twas the voice of an angel from 
glory — 'twas a message from the Most High! and as we heard we re- 
joiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were rapt in 
the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; 
uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk, no more to rise, while fiction and 
deception had fled forever! 

" But, dear brother, think, further think for a moment, what joy filled 
our hearts and with what surprise we must have bowed (for who would 
not have bowed the knee for such a blessing?), when we received under 
his hand the Holy Priesthood. ... 

"I shall not attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart, nor the 
majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us on this occasion; but 
you will believe me when I say, that earth, nor men, with the eloquence 
of time, cannot begin to clothe language in as interesting and sublime a 
manner as this holy personage. No ; nor has this earth power to give the 
joy, to bestow the peace, or comprehend the wisdom which was contained 
in each sentence as they were delivered by the power of the Holy 
Spirit ! . . . The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel ; the 
certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth, unsullied as it 
flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me, past 
description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior's 
goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry, 
and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I 
hope to adore in that day which shall never cease." — Messenger and Ad- 
vocate, Oct., 1834, PP- 15-16. 

It is needless to comment on any such statements. The con- 
viction occurs strongly that its author is either telling the truth, 
or else deliberately romancing. That it is the result of " hypno- 
tism " or other obscure mental state is by no means evident. Nor 
could any such theory be easily supported, as we have already 
seen in another connection. Whatever may be the truth of the 
matter, however, the fact remains that both Smith and Cowdery 
behaved, thereafter, as if the experience had been a veritable 
reality. Immediately after the experience reported above, the 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 47 

baptism of converts began, and within the succeeding eleven 
months about forty had professed belief in the new teachings. 
Finally, on April 6, 1830, the Church was formally organized 
with six members of record, to wit: Joseph Smith, Jr., his 
brothers, Hyrum and Samuel Harrison Smith, David Whitmer 
and his brother, Peter Whitmer, Jr., and Oliver Cowdery. On 
this occasion Cowdery was formally ordained as " second elder," 
and with Joseph Smith was sustained as an accepted teacher " in 
the things of the Kingdom of God." Smith records of this meet- 
ing: 

"We then laid our hands on each individual member of the Church 
present, that they might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and be con- 
firmed members of the Church of Christ. The Holy Ghost was poured 
out upon us to a very great degree — some prophesied, whilst we all 
praised the Lord, and rejoiced exceedingly." — History of the Church, 
Vol /., p. 78. 

Scarcely had the Church been formally organized, and the 
work of preaching its message systematically begun, when the 
conditions characteristic of Mormon history, even to the present 
day, sprang at once into active existence. Foremost among these 
was the bitter and persecuting spirit which still survives, and 
which is popularly supposed to have originated in indignation at 
teachings advocating " polygamy," and other " immoralities," 
undreamed of by Mormons, or others, at that period. Nor can 
any fears of " political menace " be urged in explanation for the 
violence perpetrated on a few dozen obscure and uninfluential 
people. Evidently, as previously suggested, the heart and origin 
of the whole opposition to Mormonism, to-day as well as at the 
beginning, is that Joseph Smith, a " wanton gospeler," had under- 
taken to found a new religious body and promulgate teachings out 
of harmony with those acceptable to the regular Protestant 
clergy. Had he begun as a recognized preacher of some estab- 
lished sect, or other, the case would have been different, without 
doubt. The whole character of the proceedings against him evi- 
dences this. 

The first recorded arrest and trial of Joseph Smith took place 
in June, 1830, after several days of popular opposition to the 
attempts of Cowdery to baptize converts to their faith in a stream 
near the house of a certain Joseph Knight at Colesville, New 
York. The charge alleged on this occasion is said to have been 
* disorderly conduct," which seems to have consisted principally 
in the act of " setting the country in an uproar by preaching the 
Book of Mormon." Of course, hostile critics of Smith allege 
that the arrest was caused by even more serious " misdoings " 
on his part, also that " witnesses were intimidated." In default, 
however, of any definite and reliable proof to the contrary, it is 



48 THE REAL MORMONISM 

safe to assume the truth of the accounts given by Smith of this 
episode, which, as it seems, was as preposterous an example of 
illegality as could be imagined. An episode from a comic opera, 
or the trial of the famous cause Bardell vs. Pickwick, could 
scarcely exceed the absurdity manifested in the succeeding trials 
before local courts. Of the first of these Smith gives the follow- 
ing description: 

" At length the trial commenced amidst a multitude of spectators, who 
in general evinced a belief that I was guilty of all that had been reported 
concerning me, and of course were very zealous that I should be punished 
according to my crimes. Among many witnesses called up against me, 
was Mr. Josiah Stoal — of whom I have made mention as having worked 
for him some time — and examined to the following effect : 
"'Did not the prisoner, Joseph Smith, have a horse of you?' 
"'Yes/ 

" ' Did not he go to you and tell you that an angel had appeared unto 
him and authorized him to get the horse from you ? ' 
" ' No, he told me no such story.' 
" ' Well, how had he the horse of you? ' 
"'He bought him of me as any other man would.'" 
" ' Have you had your pay ? ' 
" ' That is not your business.' 

" The question being again put, the witness replied : 
" ' I hold his note for the price of the horse, which I consider as good 
as the pay; for I am well acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jun., and know 
him to be an honest man ; and if he wishes, I am ready to let him have 
another horse on the same terms.' 

"After a few more such attempts, the court was detained for a time, 
in order that two young women, daughters of Mr. Stoal, with whom I 
had at times kept company, might be sent for, in order, if possible, to elicit 
something from them which might be made a pretext against me. The 
young ladies arrived, and were severally examined touching my character 
and conduct in general, but particularly as to my behavior towards them, 
both in public and private; when they both bore such testimony in my 
favor as left my enemies without pretext on their account." — History of 
the Church, Vol. I., pp. 89-91. 

At the conclusion of this "trial," which seems to have con- 
sisted in a series of vain attempts to force someone or other to 
assume the role of accuser against Joseph Smith on some serious 
charge, the prisoner was released. Almost immediately, how- 
ever, he was rearrested on a warrant found in another county, 
and was hurried thither for trial. Here similar forcical pro- 
ceedings took place, and he was again set at liberty. Such doings 
might reasonably be declared impossible, even considering the 
very irregular methods often followed in rural courts, were it 
not for the fact, which seems to be admitted on all hands, that 
the arrest of Smith always followed as a sort of climax to mob 
violence and disorder. Whatever Smith may have done on any 
of these occasions, it would seem that he was effectively and 
ably seconded by the rest of the population, who, in spite of their 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 49 

" righteous indignation," seem to have been able to do no more 
than fasten upon him the blame for their own acts of violence 
and disorder in the minds of the already prejudiced public. 
How far the doings of these mobs may be credited to genuine 
popular indignation may be judged as the story proceeds. One 
might reasonably expect that a person so widely accused and so 
often arrested amid violent manifestations of popular detestation, 
might at least have been found guilty of some of the grave charges 
made against him by historians, instead of being repeatedly ac- 
quitted, and, when held, detained only under circumstances that 
permit of a strong suspicion of injustice. 

Immediately after his discharge by the courts of Chenango and 
Broome counties, Smith returned to his interrupted activities for 
the upbuilding of the church, which, in spite of all unfavorable 
conditions, seems to have grown steadily. Among the notable 
movements inaugurated was the first " mission of the Lamanites," 
or Indians, for whose conversion a number of elders were sent 
out. Later in the same year, as the result of missionary effort, 
such prominent and able converts as Parley P. Pratt, Sidney 
Rigdon, Newel K. Whitney and Edward Partridge were added 
to the membership. In this same year, also, appeared the dis- 
tinctive feature of the Mormon system — the doctrine of " gath- 
ering " — which has always differentiated it from other sects and 
bodies professing Christianity. 

At the time of the founding of the Church, Joseph Smith was 
but four months over twenty- four years of age, a very young 
man, alike in years, in learning and in experience. In view of 
the surroundings of his birth and education, his prominence, even 
locally, at this early age is remarkable; whereas the maturity 
and brilliancy shown in his formulations of the new Church, and 
in the administrations of its affairs, must seem no otherwise than 
wonderful to a fair mind. While there is some room for the 
theory that his ideas on all matters, particularly on the organiza- 
tion of the church, were gradually developed, there is also quite 
as good reason for considering his claim that the later principles 
were " revealed " in some manner, as required by the exigencies 
of external conditions. To have formulated and have attempted 
to establish the organization of the Church, full-grown and com- 
plete, at the very beginning would have seemed remarkable to 
say the least. Accordingly, we find that the process of develop- 
ment follows consecutive and logical steps, the first of which is 
to gather the people, the latterly to organize them in the way 
considered most appropriate and effective. Thus, as we must 
agree, this doctrine of " gathering " is no less a departure than 
all that succeeded it, although the primitive first step in the in- 



50 THE REAL MORMONISM 

auguration of the " work." This is expressed by George Q. 

Cannon, as follows: 

" Teaching of the doctrine of the gathering also was a new announce- 
ment to the world. ^ The belief common in Christendom was that man 
was as near to God in one place as another, and He could be worshipped 
everywhere alike. The idea, therefore, of converts abandoning home, 
with all its delightful associations and ancestral memories, and going to 
a new land, remote from kindred and friends, as a religious duty was a 
startling one and came in contact with all pre-conceived views. Under 
the inspiration, however, of the Lord, Joseph made it known as a move- 
ment required of true believers by the Almighty to prepare them for 
coming events. It was a bold proclamation, and viewed from a human 
standpoint, was likely to interfere with successful conversions. But it 
was from the Lord, and honest seekers after truth were led to look to 
Him for the evidence of its heavenly origin. The result came in due 
time, and should have been convincing to every human soul." — Life of 
Joseph Smith the Prophet, pp. 81-82. 

The first gathering-place of the Church was at Kirtland, Ohio, 
although early in 1831 Smith announced a revelation to the effect 
that Zion, or the final home of the Saints, was to be in Jackson 
county, Missouri. In this region, as he claimed also, had been 
enacted many of the important events of antediluvian and early 
Biblical times — here was located the city of Zion built by 
Enoch, and which, according to a new version of the old story, 
now first given to the world, had been taken up to God, along 
with its founder and ruler — and hither, on Smith's advice, 
many of the converts to the Church prepared to migrate. Un- 
doubtedly the story of Enoch, as the founder, priest and ruler 
of a perfect community of people — and in this respect it is not 
wholly out of accord with the ancient versions of his life and 
work, as given in the Talmud, and in other Semitic books — 
played a profoundly significant part in guiding the movements of 
Joseph Smith. In a revelation dated in March 1832 (Doctrine 
and Covenants, Section lxxviii), in which he is himself addressed 
as Enoch,* the design was undoubtedly originated in his mind 
of realizing on earth again the perfection of society said to have 
been found in the time of the ancient patriarch of the same name. 
For the achievement of this prodigious ideal, the working-out of 
the very reforms for which the world is still sadly in need, the 
gathering of communities of righteous people, devoted to per- 
forming the law of God in its fulness, appeared as an essential 
element of the "Latter-day Gospel." This seems to be ex- 
pressed in the words of a revelation dated March 7, 1831, as 
follows : 

" I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light 

* In several places in the Doctrine and Covenants fictitious designations are used 
for both persons and things. This is explained as due to changes made for the sake 
of rendering the reference obscure to hostile readers. 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 51 

to the world, and to be a standard for my people and for the Gentiles 
to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way 
before me; wherefore, come ye unto it, and with him that cometh I will 
reason as with men in days of old, and I will show unto you my strong 
reasoning, wherefore hearken ye together and let me show it unto you, 
even my wisdom — the wisdom of him whom ye say is the God of Enoch, 
and his brethren, who were separated from the earth, and were received 
unto myself — a city reserved until a day of righteousness shall come 
— a day which was sought for by all holy men, and they found it not be- 
cause of wickedness and abominations ; and confessed they were stran- 
gers and pilgrims on the earth ; but obtained a promise that they should 
find it and see it in their flesh." — Doctrine and Covenants, xlv. 9-14. 

The lofty ideal embodied in this and other revelations un- 
derlay also the motives involved in the organization of the Order 
of Enoch, which is discussed at another place. Nor, apart from 
the confident promise of direct communion with God, on the 
condition of obedience to the law of righteousness, a distinctly 
and validly religious consideration, is it evident to the candid 
student that Smith used any other inducements, such as assur- 
ances of the foundation of an earthly Paradise. His appeal 
gathered around him a company of disciples, evidently sincerely 
convinced of the truth of his message, and, as events proved, 
amply ready and willing to brave persecution. Such converts 
may be acquired, perhaps, by many preachers with a message, 
but not every such person can hold them together in the face of 
truculent assaults. Also, as is evident, not every such person 
can himself endure the brunt of persecution. The successful 
leader of men must be endowed with firm conviction, courage, 
and undaunted determination. The possession of these high 
qualities by Joseph Smith demonstrates that his primary sig- 
nificance to history is in the character of a leader and executive 
of the highest ability, whose influence, nevertheless, was based 
in an enthusiasm far greater than either mere personal advan- 
tage or the achievement of temporal good ends. Smith has 
been compared to the Italian insurgent reformer, Rienzi, who in 
the fourteenth century achieved the liberation of Rome from the 
clutches of a corrupt oligarchy, and made himself " tribune " by 
virtue of his high qualities as a popular leader. It is well to 
note, however, the very essential difference between these two 
forceful men, in the fact that Rienzi's movement led direct to 
his own elevation to the seat of government, and that it collapsed 
with his downfall. Smith, on the other hand, although he care- 
fully reserved for himself the direction of affairs during his own 
life-time, promulgated the details of a splendidly-conceived or- 
ganization, which has proved a vital and persistent reality to this 
very day. Indeed, as stated by himself, his motives in the 
founding of his church organization had precisely this signifi- 



52 THE REAL MORMONISM 

cance. Thus, under date March 27, 1832, he makes the follow- 
ing entry in his journal: 

" We transacted considerable business for the salvation of the Saints, 
who were settling among a ferocious set of mobbers, like lambs among 
wolves. It was my endeavor to so organize the Church, that the breth- 
ren might eventually be independent of every incumbrance beneath the 
celestial kingdom, by bonds and covenants of mutual friendship, and mu- 
tual love."— History of the Church, Voh I., p. 269. 

It has been said in way of criticism of Smith's motives that 
he used his forceful and persuasive powers to induce people to 
settle in localities in which very many of them were, unfortu- 
nately, maltreated, despoiled or killed by " unmanageable mobs " ; 
and this alleged fact is supposed to be very much to his discredit. 
It is well to note, however, that in every settlement made under 
his direction, or at his instigation, the people were carefully and 
stably organized, and in such fashion that, could the violence of 
mobs have been escaped, such settlements must have continued 
both prosperous and orderly. The wonderful solidarity of the 
Mormon people, which is a fact only too evident to admit of 
denial, is attributed by the Prophet himself to the inculcation 
and living of " correct principles " of life and truth. In a 
familiar quotation he is represented as stating this. Thus, " To 
one who inquired how he governed men so well, he said : * I do 
not govern them ; I teach them correct principles, and they gov- 
ern themselves/ " His method is outlined in his own words, as 
follows : 

" The inquiry is frequently made of me, ' Wherein do you differ from 
others in your religious views ? ' In reality and essence we do not differ 
so far in our religious views, but that we could all drink into one prin- 
ciple of love. One of the grand fundamental principles of ' Mormonism ' 
is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may. 

"... If a skillful mechanic, in taking a welding heat, uses borax, alum, 
etc., and succeeds in welding together iron or steel more perfectly than 
any other mechanic, is he not deserving of praise? And if by the prin- 
ciples of truth I succeed in uniting men of all denominations in the bonds 
of love, shall I not have attained a good object? 

"... I will not seek to compel any man to believe as I do, only by the 
force of reasoning, for truth will cut its own way. Do you believe in 
Jesus Christ and the Gospel of salvation which He revealed? So do I. 
Christians should cease wrangling and contending with each other, and 
cultivate the principles of union and friendship in their midst; and they 
will do it before the millennium can be ushered in and Christ takes pos- 
session of His kingdom." — History of the Church, Vol. V., p. 499. 

It was in Kirtland, Ohio, that the essential social principles 
of Mormonism were first promulgated. Here several revela- 
tions were received requiring such members of the Church as 
possessed lands to share them with the incoming new arrivals 
from the east, in order that all might have the means of self-sup- 
port, until the affairs of the community could be so settled that 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 53 

each could purchase and own his own home. The law of con- 
secrated property and stewardship was also promulgated, and, in 
several instances, the Saints were urged to hold their surplus at 
the requisition of the Church authorities, for the benefit of the 
whole people. Of course, hostile and disingenuous critics have 
asserted that all these advices and commands were only so many 
attempts to appropriate the funds of converts for the benefit of 
certain " ringleaders." The fact remains, however, that al- 
though considerable properties were actually assigned to their 
owners as " stewardships," the only ones mentioned by name in 
authoritative documents belonged to recognized leaders of the 
Church. Thus, to Sidney Rigdon is appointed his residence and 
tannery (Doctrine and Covenants, civ. 20-23) ; to Martin Harris 
is appointed "a lot of land" (Ibid. 24-25); also stewardships 
are appointed to Frederick G. Williams (Ibid. 27), Oliver Cow- 
drey (Ibid. 28-33), J onn Johnson (Ibid. 34-38), and Newel K. 
Whitney (Ibid. 39-42). Furthermore, the surplus of such 
stewardships, or moneys derived from other ready sources, were 
largely expended in the benefit of the whole people. It would 
be difficult, on another supposition, to account for the constantly 
increasing prosperity of the settlement in and about Kirtland, 
which, like all others founded by Smith and his associates, was 
constantly interfered with, and eventually scattered by disor- 
derly mobs. Considerable capital has also been made in the fact 
that a banking establishment, the Kirtland Safety Society, of 
which Smith was president for a time and Rigdon cashier, 
proved a disastrous failure. There is no proof, however, in 
spite of the bitter denunciations among both outsiders and 
church members — several of the latter " apostatized " on this 
account — that either of the leading officers of this concern 
profited in any way. A certain Warren Parrish, employed in 
the bank is known to have embezzled a large sum — $30,000 is 
the amount named — and by this misfortune the concern seems 
to have been crippled. As failure in a business venture is not 
classed among crimes in civilized communities — unless, indeed, 
it results in the poverty of those who fail, if we may judge from 
the prevailing methods in such cases — the following resume of 
this notorious incident is in place : 

" The Kirtland ' boom ' — as it would now be styled — began in the sum- 
mer or fall of 1836, and during the following winter and spring went 
rushing and roaring on toward the whirlpool of financial ruin that soon 
swallowed it. The all-prevailing desire to amass wealth did not confine 
itself to mercantile pursuits, real estate dealings, and other branches of 
business of a legitimate if much inflated character, but was productive of 
' wild-cat ' schemes of every description, enterprises in every respect frau- 
dulent, designed as traps for the unwary. 

" An effort was made by the Prophet, who foresaw the inevitable dis- 



54 THE REAL MORMONISM 

aster that awaited, to stem the tide of recklessness and corruption now 
threatening to sweep everything before it. For this purpose the Kirtland 
Safety Society was organized, the main object of which was to control 
the prevailing sentiment and direct it in legitimate channels. The 
Prophet and some of his staunchest supporters became officers and mem- 
bers of this association. 

" The career of the Kirtland Bank was very brief. Unable to collect 
its loans, victimized by counterfeiters, and robbed by some of its own of- 
ficials — subordinates having charge of the funds — it soon collapsed. A 
heroic effort was made to save it. Well-to-do members of the Church beg- 
gared themselves to buy up the bank's floating paper and preserve its credit. 
But in vain. In common with many other banks and business houses 
throughout the country, — for it was a year of general financial disaster, 
— it went down in the ruinous crash of 1837. 

"Another opportunity was thus given to heap censure upon the 
Prophet ; an opportunity of which his enemies, in and out of the Church, 
quickly availed themselves. As a matter of fact Joseph had withdrawn 
from the Society some time before, not being satisfied with the way 
events were shaping. It mattered not. Someone had done wrong, and 
someone must be blamed. As usual the most prominent target was the 
one fired at. Before this, however, so intense had become the feeling 
against the Prophet at Kirtland, that it was almost as much as one's life 
was worth to defend him against his accusers." — Orson F. Whitney, His- 
tory of Utah, Vol. I., pp. 132-133. 

During the seven years of Mormon residence in Kirtland it 
seems that a thrifty and prosperous settlement was built up. 
Farming and other industries were successfully conducted, and 
large bands of converts and new accessions to the settlement 
were constantly being received and provided for. The first 
regular church building, or " temple," was also erected, entirely 
by the voluntary subscriptions of the Church membership, and 
the essential laws and regulations of the " new dispensation " 
were formulated. This building, which still stands, is an espe- 
cially holy place in the eyes of devout Mormons from the addi- 
tional reasons that within its walls several important revelations 
are believed to have been received, and, as testified by Smith, 
Rigdon and Cowdery, visions of Christ and of several ancient 
saints and prophets were also manifested. Whatever may have 
been Smith's failures, or however much he may have excited 
" intense feeling " against himself, it must seem no less than 
remarkable that he could so successfully maintain the double 
office of " prophet, seer and revelator " with that of practical 
executive and temporal leader. He seems to have been able, not 
only to inspire a mystical enthusiasm for the " things of the 
spirit," but also to lead practical men of affairs to combine 
efficiently for the general good. If. as claimed, he used " hyp- 
notism " to persuade the three witnesses that they had seen an 
angel, it might be in place to inquire what order of influence he 
employed to achieve such remarkable results at the very begin- 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 55 

ning of his career as leader and guide of hundreds and thou- 
sands of people. 

Nor, in the midst of his other activities, all successful for the 
general good, did the Prophet omit the consideration of educa- 
tion. Thus, as early as June, 1831, the following revelation is 
recorded, with specific directions to one William W. Phelps: 

" Behold, thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant William, yea, even 
the Lord of the whole earth, thou art called and chosen, . . . and again, 
you shall be ordained to assist my servant Oliver Cowdery to do the 
work of printing, and of selecting, and writing books for schools in this 
church, that little children also may receive instruction before me as is 
pleasing unto me." — Doctrine and Covenants, lv. 1-4. 

About one year later, in the first number of the Evening and 
Morning Star of Independence, Mo., the following appeared: 
" The disciples should lose no time in preparing schools for their chil- 
dren, that they may be taught as is pleasing unto the Lord, and brought 
up in the way of holiness. Those appointed to select and prepare books 
for the use of schools, will attend to that subject, as soon as more weighty 
matters are finished. But the parents and guardians, in the Church of 
Christ need not wait — it is all important that children, to become good 
should be taught so, (good). ... A word to the wise ought to be suf- 
ficient, for children soon become men and women. Yes, they are they that 
must follow us, and perform the duties which, not only appertain to this 
world, but to the second coming of the Savior, even preparing for the 
Sabbath of creation, and for eternity.'* 

In addition to these occasional expressions, it may be safe to 
state that the enthusiasm for education is an essential part of 
the Mormon system. Thus, in the authoritative works of the 
Church occur the following: 

" Whatever principles of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will 
rise with tis in the resurrection ; and if a person gains more knowledge 
and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than an- 
other, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." — Doc- 
trine and Covenants, cxxx. 18-19. 

In the public utterances of Joseph Smith perfectly similar 
ideas are found expressed. Thus: 

" The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth." 
— Ibid., xciii. 36. 

" A man is saved no faster than he get knowledge, for if he does not 
get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the 
other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently 
more power than many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs reve- 
lation to assist us, and give us knowledge of the things of God." — His- 
tory of the Church, Vol. IV. p. 588. 

" The more sure word of prophecy means a man's knowing that he is 
sealed up unto eternal life by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, 
through the power of the holy priesthood. It is impossible for a man to 
be saved in ignorance." — Ibid., Vol. V. p. 392. 

" And I give unto you a commandment, that you shall teach one another 
the doctrine of the kingdom ; teach ye diligently and my grace shall at- 



56 THE REAL MORMONISM 

tend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in prin- 
ciple, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto 
the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand ; of things 
both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth ; things which have 
been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass ; things 
which are at home, things which are abroad ; the wars and the perplexi- 
ties of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land, and a knowl- 
edge also of countries and of kingdoms." — Doctrine and Covenants, 
lxxxiii. 77-79. 

Such teachings were undoubtedly understood by many of the 
Prophet's associates to refer to intellectual training, for which a 
considerable enthusiasm was manifested at various times. Thus, 
among other educational institutions founded by the direction of 
Joseph Smith was a class in Hebrew, under the instruction of a 
certain Dr. Seixas, a Jewish scholar apparently well equipped to 
teach the language and literature of his people. Under him 
Smith himself studied the Hebrew language, which he continued 
later under another scholar named Piexotto. He evidently be- 
lieved in his own teachings to this extent, at least. It is also af- 
fecting to read that some of his converts, men of force and char- 
acter, but of defective youthful advantages, eagerly sought to 
supplement their lack by availing themselves of present oppor- 
tunities. Thus Wilford Woodruff, subsequently president of the 
Church, records in his voluminous and carefully kept journal : 

" Having returned from my southern mission in the autumn of 1836, in 
company with Elders A. O. Smoot and Jesse Turpin, I spent the follow- 
ing winter in Kirtland. During this time I received my endowments and 
attended the school of Professor Haws, who taught Greek, Latin and 
English grammar. I confined my studies mostly to Latin and English 
grammar." — ■ Leaves from my Journal, p. 25. 

What other object could exist in the mind of Mr. Woodruff 
that should prompt him at the age of thirty years to seek to per- 
fect himself in rudimentary branches, besides a desire to prepare 
thereby for a more effective ministry? His course, which was 
adopted by numerous others similarly circumstanced certainly 
evidences the fact that the influence of Joseph Smith and of his 
teachings moved men to seek improvement and better equipment. 
Such facts in themselves are sufficient to discredit the vulgar 
theory that Smith was merely a semi-insane and venal " hyp- 
notist," and evidence the contention that, whatever his character 
or motives in any particular respect, he was certainly a wonder- 
ful and inspiring leader of men, one also worthy to rank with 
Napoleon in ability to stimulate enthusiasm for a cause, and 
devotion to his own person. The Spaulding hypothesis, in which 
some still profess belief, credits Sidney Rigdon with a phenom- 
enal judgment of human nature, when, as asserted, he chose this 
man for his " publisher " and " mouthpiece." 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 57 

However, the influence of Joseph Smith among his followers 
was by no means confined to matters didactic, educational or 
communal. It seems veritably to have endowed them with the 
ability, as mentioned by him, of " governing themselves." While 
he was residing principally in Kirtland, Ohio, with only an occa- 
sional visit to the regions further west, a thriving colony was 
being built up at Independence, Jackson county, Missouri, on 
the revealed site of the future Zion. Here, as at Kirtland, 
within a very few years, a thriving settlement was built up by 
people who had journeyed from their former homes in New 
York and Ohio, through a rough and virgin country for most of 
the distance of between 900 and 1,200 miles. Although set- 
tling in a wild and primitive region, whose white inhabitants 
were mostly of the frontier type of that day, neither enjoying 
nor desiring any of the benefits of civilization, the Mormons 
immediately set about introducing the elements of refined living. 
They laid out and cultivated farms, introduced various industries 
and mercantile enterprises, and began the publication of a news- 
paper, The Upper Missouri Advertiser, and a monthly periodical, 
The Evening and Morning Star. The printing office then opened 
by them was, as claimed, farther west by 250 miles than any 
other then existing in the United States. 

Besides building up Independence, the Mormon people estab- 
lished farming settlements in the neighborhood of the Big Blue, 
immediately southeast of the present location of Kansas City; 
and within two years nearly 1,200 members of the Church, prin- 
cipally from New York, Ohio, and other northeastern states, had 
located in the confines of Jackson county. In spite of these, and 
other", evidences of good citizenship, these people were driven 
from the county by disorderly mobs in 1833, and were requested 
to leave Clay county, where they had sought refuge, in 1836. 
They then migrated to the northern parts of Missouri, then 
largely unsettled, and became the first inhabitants of the present 
Caldwell and Daviess counties. During the years 1836, 1837, 
and 1838 over 12,000 Latter-day Saints settled in this region, 
principally in Caldwell county, and as the result of their efforts 
the whole country was transformed from a wild prairie into a 
flourishing farming country. They also founded the city of Far 
West in Caldwell county, and the villages of Spring Hill and 
Adam-ondi-Ahman (later called Diahman) in Daviess county. 
Nevertheless, their industry and enterprise counted for nothing; 
for, within three years, they were again driven, this time from 
the confines of the state, and, migrating eastward, joined their 
fellow-religionists from Ohio in founding the city of Nauvoo on 
the Mississippi River in Hancock county, Illinois. Here they 



58 THE REAL MORMONISM 

were allowed to remain for about eight years, again achieving 
many things worthy a place in the world's history. Then, be- 
cause of intolerable persecution, persistently and systematically 
inflicted, virtually the entire population again migrated, this time 
to the Rocky Mountain region, in the confines of the present 
state of Utah, where they still remain. 

We have learned already how that the influence of this man, 
who, as some insist, was a sodden ignoramus, availed to inspire 
many to seek wider educational advantages, and otherwise to 
improve themselves. We have also learned that through his 
leadership several thriving settlements were founded, first in 
Ohio, later in Missouri, and that, in loyalty to the teachings pro- 
mulgated by him, the people were kept together, in the face of 
brutal persecutions. There were defections, of course; many of 
the Church fell away from their allegiance and professions — 
nor is this surprising — but the greater body of them held to- 
gether with a tenacity worthy to rank as heroic. There are sev- 
eral touching incidents in the course of this " Mormon war " in 
Missouri, which should shed a valuable side-light on the quality 
of the influence that held them together. Among these is the 
striking testimony of David W. Patten, one of the apostles, who, 
in a vain attempt to rescue certain of the Mormons held in cap- 
tivity by the mob, and threatened with death, was himself shot 
and mortally wounded. As he lay dying, he remarked simply to 
his wife, " Whatever you do else, oh, do not deny the faith." 
It was evidently a faith fit for heroes of which he spoke. In 
any other connection, as we cannot doubt, such words would be 
widely quoted among the " dying sayings " of great and good 
men, and preserved for the edification of posterity. For Patten, 
at least, the religion preached by Joseph Smith was a great and 
beautiful reality. Nor do people originate in themselves all the 
faith and consolations which they profess to find in their re- 
ligion. There was a reality behind it all, and it was Christian. 

In the movement of the Mormons, between twelve and fifteen 
thousand strong, from the state of Missouri, there was oppor- 
tunity for the emergence of another colossal figure, whose name 
survives among the heroes of America — Brigham Young. It 
was upon his shoulders, as head of the Apostolic body that the 
duty of conducting the exodus fell, suddenly and unexpectedly, 
almost like a destiny, through the defection of several of the 
other officers who had ranked him in the quorum. Immediately, 
however, he took up his duties, and discharged them with the 
vigor and directness that characterized all his doings. Brought 
to the leadership of a band of people, many of whom had been 
despoiled to the last remnants of fortune, and were reduced to 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 59 

abject misery and dependence, he showed at once how seriously 
he regarded his title of " apostle." He became the friend and 
protector of the poor, and exerted himself to enforce the deter- 
mination that, in accord with the principles of the Gospel, those 
who had saved anything should share it with all who had been 
despoiled. Late in September, 1838, he called a meeting of his 
leaders and proposed the following resolution, which he enforced 
to the letter, so far as he had influence : 

"Resolved, That we this day enter into a covenant to stand by and as- 
sist each other, to the utmost of our abilities, in removing from this state, 
and that we will never desert the poor who are worthy, till they shall be 
out of the reach of the general exterminating order of General Clark, act- 
ing for and in the name of the state." 

Except for the faithful performance of this resolution by the 
people and their leaders, it would be difficult to explain how 
large bodies of refugees could have been guided safely out of 
Missouri, and into Iowa and Illinois, even in the face of hard- 
ships, of the constant danger of defections from their ranks, and 
the bald uncertainty as to their destination, or as to the future 
of the very Church itself. At times, indeed, it seemed as though 
the end of the Mormon Church were at hand, and that its people 
were to be scattered abroad. Joseph Smith and his brother 
Hyrum, with Sidney Rigdon, constituting the Presidency, were 
imprisoned in Missouri, in constant seeming danger of death, 
but this fact did not discourage Brigham Young, nor any of the 
stronger men around him, and to their courage and downright 
faith in something that seemed grand and beautiful to them, is 
to be awarded a very large part of the credit for bringing this 
army of helpless refugees out of the reach of their enemies, and 
to another abiding place. 

Of course, as must be acknowledged by all candid minds, such 
men as Patten, Young, Kimball, and a score of others among the 
companions and coadjutors of Joseph Smith, were men built on 
a large scale, men worthy to rank as heroes — if we may judge 
from the way in which they deported themselves in trying and 
difficult conditions — but it is truly interesting how large a 
number of such men Smith actually succeeded in attracting and 
inspiring. That his message was something real and vital to 
them — and to all others of his followers, is undoubted, but the 
highest tributes are paid to his own personality, leadership, abil- 
ity and courage. That his influence is to be credited to any such 
devices as " hypnotism," or any other form of chicane pretend- 
ing, or that he was an ingenious, plausible and indefatigable 
" imposter," are suggestions altogether too stupid and vulgar to 
deserve a moment's discussion. Whatever he may be supposed 
to have done in cases in which, in his presence, wonderful visions 



60 THE REAL MORMONISM 

and divine manifestations are related by his associates, it is alto- 
gether certain that, in the handling of the body of the Church, in 
dealing with people in the mass — and too many of them were 
people of strong personality and decided character — he could 
have had recourse only to the methods and powers of a real 
leader of men. The following incident is related by George Q. 
Cannon, and certainly bears out the very qualities which one 
would logically expect to find manifested by a real leader, not 
to mention a man who had some quality closely akin to confidence 
in a Power greater than himself. 

"An incident of this period shows that Prophet's calmness and self- 
command in the face of danger, as well as the influence of his presence 
even upon sworn enemies. 

" He was sitting in his father's house near the edge of the prairie one 
day, writing letters, when a large party of armed mobocrats called at the 
place. Lucy Smith, the Prophet's mother, demanded their business, and 
they replied that they were on the way to kill 'Joseph, the Mormon 
Prophet.' His mother remonstrated with them; and Joseph, having fin- 
ished his writing and hearing the threats against himself, walked to the 
door and stood before them with folded arms, bared head and such a look 
of majesty in his eyes that they quailed before him. Though they were 
unacquainted with his identity, they knew they were in the presence of 
greatness ; and when his mother introduced him as the man they sought, 
they started as if they had seen a spectre. 

" The Prophet invited the leaders into the house, and without alluding 
to their purpose of murder, he talked to them earnestly with regard to the 
persecutions against the Saints. When he concluded, so deeply had they 
been impressed, that they insisted upon giving him an escort to protect 
him to his home. . . . 

" It was always so when men would listen to Joseph long enough to let 
the Spirit which animated him assert itself to their reason." — Life of 
Joseph Smith the Prophet, pp. 249-250. 

A similarly striking incident is related by Parley P. Pratt, 
who states that it occurred on an occasion when he was confined, 
together with Smith, in a jail at Richmond, Missouri. Here 
they were confined during several days and nights, awaiting their 
execution under the orders of a certain Colonel Clark, in com- 
mand of the state militia. 

" In one of those tedious nights," Pratt relates, " we had lain as if in 
sleep, till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts had 
been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the hor- 
rid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our guards, 
Colonel Price at their head, as they recounted to each other their deeds 
of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed among the 
' Mormons ' while at Far West and vicinity. . . . 

"I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so 
filled with the spirit of indignant justice that I could scarcely refrain from 
rising upon my. feet and rebuking the guards; but had said nothing to 
Joseph, or anyone else, although I lay next to him and knew he was 
awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, 
or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following 
words : 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 61 

" ' Silence ! Ye fiends of the infernal pit ! In the name of Jesus 
Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still. I will not live an- 
other minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die 
this instant ! ' 

" He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, 
and without a weapon; calm, unruffled, and dignified as an angel, he 
looked upon the quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped 
to the ground; whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a 
corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet 
till a change of guards. 

" I have seen the ministers of justices, clothed in magisterial robes, 
and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended on a 
breath, in the Courts of England ; I have witnessed a Congress in solemn 
session to give laws to nations ; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal 
courts, of thrones and crowns ; and of emperors assembled to decide the 
fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, and it 
stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon, in an obscure village of Mis- 
souri." — Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 228-230. 

Of course, as may be justly objected, both of these heroic in- 
cidents are related by devoted disciples of Smith and earnest 
adherents to his teachings; hence may be somewhat colored by 
the enthusiasm of their narrators. Although, however, neither 
of them is justly to be called improbable, nor discounted as alto- 
gether exceptional, to say the least, we are less concerned at 
present in inquiring into their actuality than in presenting ex- 
cellent examples of the nearly mystical regard in which the 
Prophet was held by his fellows and disciples. That he was a 
man of wonderful force, dignity and ability cannot be denied, in 
view of the influence which he wielded. 

Nor is it surprising to find in the writings of Smith's dis- 
ciples and others accounts of his exercise of " miraculous " pow- 
ers, as in the healing of the sick, after the manner of the apostles 
of old. In narrations of some of his earlier doings we find, 
also, examples of casting out evil spirits, to whose activities he 
seems to have attributed certain orders of affection, in true New 
Testament consistency. If, as seems well attested, he possessed 
and exercised any power whatever to effect the cure of disease, 
it is unnecessary to inquire into the theories or opinions which 
he may have held regarding their nature and origin, nor to open 
discussion with people who would be inclined to regard " de- 
moniacal possession " in all its phases as a " discredited super- 
stition." Scientifically, as we may assert, this matter is an open 
one, as exampled in the findings of such psychological authori- 
ties as Professor William James, and others. In regard to 
Smith's reputed power to heal disease, we have the following 
striking testimony from the writings of Wilford Woodruff: 

" It was a very sickly time (when the refugees from Missouri first ar- 
rived at Commerce, on the site of the future city of Nauvoo) and Joseph 
had given up his home in Commerce to the sick, and had a tent pitched 



62 THE REAL MORMONISM 

in his dooryard and was living in that himself. The large number of 
Saints who had been driven out of Missouri, were flocking into Com- 
merce; but had no homes to go into, and were living in wagons, in tents, 
and on the ground. Many, therefore, were sick through the exposure 
they were subjected to. Brother Joseph had waited on the sick, until he 
was worn out and nearly sick himself. 

" On the morning of the 226. of July, 1839, he arose reflecting upon 
the situation of the Saints of God in their persecutions and afflictions, 
and he called upon the Lord in prayer, and the power of God rested upon 
him mightily, and as Jesus healed all the sick around Him in His day, so 
Joseph, the Prophet of God, healed all around on this occasion. He 
healed all in his house and dooryard, then, in company with Sidney Rig- 
don and several of the Twelve, he went through among the sick lying 
on the bank of the river, and he commanded them in a loud voice, in the 
name of Jesus Christ, to come up and be made whole, and they were 
all healed. ... As they were passing my door, Brother Joseph said: 
' Brother Woodruff, follow me.' These were the only words spoken by 
any of the company . . . till we crossed the public square, and entered 
Brother Fordham's house. Brother Fordham had been dying for an 
hour, and we expected each minute would be his last. 

" I felt the power of God that was overwhelming His Prophet 

" When we entered the house, Brother Joseph walked up to Brother 
Fordham, and took him by the right hand ; in his left hand he held his hat. 

"He saw that Brother Fordham's eyes were glazed, and that he was 
speechless and unconscious. 

" After taking hold of his hand, he looked down into the dying man's 
face and said: 'Brother Fordham, do you not know me?' At first he 
made no reply; but we could all see the effect of the Spirit of God rest- 
ing upon him. 

"He again said: 'Elijah, do you not know me?' 

" With a low whisper, Brother Fordham answered, ' Yes.' 

" The Prophet then said, ' Have you not faith to be healed ? ' 

" The answer, which was a little plainer than before, was : ' I am 
afraid it is too late. If you had come sooner, I think it might have 
been.' 

"He had the appearance of a man awaking from sleep. It was the 
sleep of death. 

" Joseph then said : ' Do you not believe that Jesus is the Christ ? ' 

" ' I do, Brother Joseph,' was the response. 

"Then the Prophet of God spoke with a loud voice, as in the majesty 
of the Godhead: 'Elijah, I command you, in the name of Jesus of 
Nazareth, to arise and be made whole ! ' 

" The words of the Prophet were not like the words of man, but like 
the voice of God. It seemed to me that the house shook from its founda- 
tion. 

" Elijah Fordham leaped from his bed like a man raised from the dead. 
A healthy color came to his face, and life was manifest in every act. 

" The unbeliever may ask : ' Was there not deception in this ? ' 
"If there is any deception in the mind of the unbeliever, there was 
certainly none with Elijah Fordham, the dying man, nor with those who 
were present with him, for in a few minutes more he would have been 
in the spirit world, had he not been rescued." — > Leaves from My Journal, 
$ p. 62-64. 

Another example of Smith's reported power to heal disease, 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 63 

" through the gift and power of God," is related in connection 
with the conversion of Ezra Booth, at one time a Methodist min- 
ister, later a Mormon elder, and finally an apostate from Mor- 
monism. The occasion of his defection, as related by Joseph 
Smith, lay in the fact that he was " disappointed " when he 
found that he was not granted the " power to smite men and 
make them believe " ( See History of the Church, Vol. I. pp 
215-216), a very clear evidence of the fact that he was thor- 
oughly convinced of the reality of miraculous powers at the 
present day. The following account of the miracle which led 
to the conversion of Booth is given in a publication of the Camp- 
bellite denomination: 

" Ezra Booth, of Mantua, a Methodist preacher of much more than or- 
. dinary culture, and with strong natural abilities, in company with his 
wife, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, and some other citizens of this place 
(Hiram), visited Smith at his home in Kirtland, in 1831. Mrs. Johnson 
had been afflicted for some time with a lame arm, and was not at the 
' time of the visit able to lift her hand to her head. The party visited 
Smith partly out of curiosity, and partly to see for themselves what there 
might be in the new doctrine. During the interview, the conversation 
turned on the subject of supernatural gifts, such as were conferred in 
the days of the apostles. Someone said, ' Here is Mrs. Johnson with a 
lame arm ; has God given any power to men now on the earth to cure 
'her?' A few moments later, when the conversation had turned in an- 
other direction, Smith rose, and walking across the room, taking Mrs. 
Johnson by the hand, said in the most solemn and impressive manner : 
' Woman, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command thee to be 
whole/ and immediately left the room. 

" The company were awe-stricken at the infinite presumption of the 
man, and the calm assurance with which he spoke. The sudden mental 
and moral shock — I know not how better to explain the well-attested 
fact — electrified the rheumatic arm — Mrs. Johnson at once lifted it up 
with ease, and on her return home the next day she was able to do her 
washing without difficulty or pain." — Hayden, History of the Disciples, 
pp. 250-251. 

Whether, or not, we can agree with the writer of this account 
that a " sudden mental and moral shock " of this description 
could avail to " electrify the rheumatic arm," it must be admitted 
that Smith possessed some power capable of exciting the rever- 
ence of his adherents and bringing conviction to the minds of 
people who had come to visit him " partly out of curiosity." 

It is interesting, however, to learn that this man, who could 
thus impress so many people with a firm belief in his profes- 
sions as a direct agent of the Almighty, and who evidently be- 
lieved every word of his own message implicitly, was also by 
no means a pompous and gloomy " superman," out of touch 
with the world of mankind, and demanding an exaggerated rever- 
ence for his person and opinions. Although a highly successful 
leader and administrator, he seems to have been a curiously 



64 THE REAL MORMONISM 

genial and approachable person, one, also, possessed of a redeem- 
ing sense of humor that must have added greatly to his influ- 
ence among the more intelligent people with whom he had to do. 
A notable instance of this is recorded by Josiah Quincy, who, 
among other anecdotes of the Prophet, related the substance of 
a running conversation on religious topics between him and a 
certain Methodist minister, who was one of the party. The 
latter gentleman, although freely invited to address the Mor- 
mon congregation on the following Sunday, seems to have con- 
sidered it incumbent on him to controvert all of the Prophet's 
opinions. Thus, from Quincy: 

"As we rode back, there was more dispute between the minister and 
Smith. ' Come/ said the latter, suddenly slapping his antagonist on the 
knee, to emphasize the production of a triumphant text, ' if you can't 
argue better than that, you shall say all you want to say to my people, 
and I will promise to hold my tongue, for there's not a Mormon among 
them who would need my assistance to answer you.' Some backthrust 
was evidently required to pay for this ; and the minister, soon after, hav- 
ing occasion to allude to some erroneous doctrine which I forget, sud- 
denly exclaimed, 'Why, I told my congregation the other Sunday that 
they might as well believe Joe Smith as such theology as that/ ' Did 
you say Joe Smith in a sermon?' inquired the person to whom the 
title haq^been applied. 'Of course I did. Why not?' The Prophet's 
reply was given with a quiet superiority that was overwhelm- 
ing : ' Considering only the day and the place, it would have been more 
respectful to have said LieUtenant-General Joseph Smith/ Clearly the 
worthy minister was no match for the head of the Mormon Church." — 
Figures of the Past, p. 393. 

Although by no means converted to the doctrines preached by 
Smith, Mr. Quincy seems to have derived a most favorable im- 
pression of his personality and influence. Some of his en- 
comiums have already been quoted, and to these he adds the 
following : 

"A fine-looking man is what the passer-by would instinctively have 
murmured upon meeting the remarkable individual who had fashioned 
the mould which was to shape the feelings of so many thousands of his 
fellow-mortals. But Smith was more than this, and one could not re- 
sist the impression that capacity and resource were natural to his stalwart 
person. I have already mentioned the resemblance he bore to Elisha R. 
Potter, of Rhode Island, whom I met in Washington in 1826. ... Of all 
men I have met, these two seemed best endowed with that kingly faculty 
which directs, as by intrinsic right, the feeble or confused souls who are 
looking for guidance. This it is just to say with emphasis; for the 
reader will find so much that is puerile and even shocking in my report 
of the prophet's conversation that he might never suspect the impression 
of rugged power that was given by the man." — Ibid., pp. 381-382. 

It is greatly to the credit of a man of Mr. Quincy's instincts 
and training that he should have derived so favorable and in- 
telligent an opinion of Joseph Smith, in spite of the things which 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 65 

he characterizes as " puerile and even shocking." We must take 
account of the " personal equation," even with Josiah Quincy. 
Nor is it strictly just to judge of the significance of a man's 
work and life to the world of humanity on the basis of the per- 
sonal traits that repel certain of his acquaintances. Consider- 
ing the temperament and early environments of Joseph Smith, it 
is scarcely remarkable that he displayed many traits, and said 
many things that must have seemed " uncouth " to a " Brah- 
min " of New England; but, as one might object, etiquette and 
table manners are not essentials in the curricula of any of the 
" schools of the prophets." This very element, mentioned by 
Quincy, is a factor in the grant aggregate of surprises that enter 
into the career and character of Smith. This man, who, on his 
first appearance before this scholar from Massachusetts, was 
" clad in the costume of a journeyman carpenter when about his 
work," and who showed " a beard of some three days' growth," 
was not only a leader of men, but, if we really would estimate 
him justly, a great mystic. He stands for nothing more vividly 
and emphatically than the belief that, in the true Christian life, 
both the Church, and each individual member of it, are to be 
guided by the direct revealed will of God. And his particular 
revelations, as they are believed to be, embodied in the Book of 
Doctrine and Covenants, show precisely, with a few notable ex- 
ceptions, homely and familiar counsels on everyday matters, ad- 
dressed to various " servants " of God, by God Himself. There 
are, to be sure, lofty flights, particularly in sections dealing with 
the blessedness of the future life (See lxxvi. and lxxxviii.), 
many sayings and directions that are both wise and profound, 
but, in the majority of passages, God is represented as speaking 
to his " servants " precisely " as a man speaketh unto his 
friend." Nor is the Almighty represented as using " university 
English," elegant diction, " polished literary forms " : He comes 
down, indeed, literally to the level of the persons whom He is 
represented as addressing. Yet, without desire to prejudice the 
reader's mind, we must insist that the question of the validity of 
" possibility " of the authority claimed for these directions and 
instructions lies primarily with the basic theory of the religious 
system that embodies them, rather than with any judgment on 
the matter of " appropriateness " or textual form. If God be 
assumed to address men thus individually, it may be honestly 
asked, how otherwise could we expect Him to do it, except in the 
form of admonitions and commendations on their daily walk? 
If, in addition, He has seen fit to employ as " mouth " a man 
uninstructed in literary refinements, could we reasonably expect 



66 THE REAL MORMONISM 

that He would employ terms and phrases that must necessarily 
puzzle him, as well as many to whom they are addressed ? " Lit- 
erary form " is not always a " form of godliness." 

Whatever may be the true and final answer to all such queries, 
the fact remains that, with the assistance of such professed reve- 
lations as are printed in this book, Joseph Smith succeeded in 
inspiring the allegiance and devoted enthusiasm of thousands of 
his personal disciples, and that they still so inspire thousands more, 
who have lived since his day. It was in the sincere belief, un- 
doubtedly, that God speaks now, in such forms as these, that, as 
we have learned, the heroic Patten, with his dying breath, whis- 
pered, " Oh, do not deny the faith." All such facts really ag- 
gravate the riddle of Joseph Smith, as is recognized by truly 
candid critics. Thus, we may quote again from Quincy, al- 
though, perhaps, not wholly with agreement in his conclusions. 
He remarks, with rather doubtful accuracy: 

" I have quoted enough to show what really good material Smith man- 
aged to draw into his net. Were such fish to be caught with Spaulding's 
tedious romance and a puerile fable of undecipherable gold plates and 
gigantic spectacles? Not these cheap and wretched properties, but some 
mastering force of the man who handled them, inspired the devoted mis- 
sionaries who worked such wonders." — Ibid., pp. 395-396. 

We cannot insist too often that, as the history of Mormonism 
amply demonstrates, it was precisely " these cheap and wretched 
properties," as Mr. Quincy styles them, that appealed most 
strongly to the imaginations of his foremost converts, and that 
do still so appeal. Further, whatever may have been the " mas- 
tering force of the man," it was evidently combined with a con- 
sistent faith in his own professions, even the " gigantic spec- 
tacles." As was most truthfully said of him by a writer in 
Chambers' Cyclopedia (Article on "Mormons"), "a mere 
impostor — i.e. a person who did not, in some sense or other, 
partly believe in his own mission, but who, on the contrary, felt 
that he was the liar and cheat that people called him — would 
have broken down under such a tempest of opposition and hate 
as Smith's preaching excited." Instead of breaking down under 
the furious assaults made upon him and his teachings, Smith 
seems really, like the ancient apostles, to have emerged from each 
successive trial " rejoicing that [he was] counted worthy to 
suffer shame" (Acts v. 41). It would be difficult indeed to 
obliterate the influence of such a man. 

In another particular, also, the influence of Joseph Smith 
manifested great and admirable traits. He was a preeminent 
leader of men, but also a leader of individuals, an example of the 
power of personal influence; even, as he represented the Divine 
Being as acting, so he evidently considered that he himself 



PROPHET, SEER AND REVELATOR 67 

should act. Thus, in the numerous cases of apostacy that oc- 
curred in his lifetime, the prevailing sentiment seems to have 
been a personal antagonism to Smith himself. Thus, were Sid- 
ney Rigdon and David Whitmer, who, while adhering to their 
previous testimonies as to the truth of the Mormon gospel, were 
disaffected with Smith personally. Furthermore, Smith seems to 
have entertained for the time being, at least, sore feelings to- 
ward several of these persons, particularly against Harris and 
Cowdery. Small wonder! They had been his friends and con- 
fidants, but now they had turned against him. Some of them, 
also, had denounced him as a " fallen prophet," although fully 
endorsing his early work, as in the translation of the Book of 
Mormon. When, however, any of these apostates expressed a 
desire to return to fellowship, the Prophet, himself, was the first 
to extend a welcome. Such a spirit was manifested by him 
in the cases of Orson Hyde and William W. Phelps, who had 
withdrawn from the Church during the trying times in Missouri. 
To Phelps he wrote a cordial letter. Some time after, as re- 
lated, he wrote to Oliver Cowdery, who had withdrawn under 
charges of misconduct about the same time as Phelps. As 
Roberts states: 

"In a sudden burst of kindness he said to his secretary: 
"Write Oliver Cowdery, and ask him if he has not eaten husks long 
enough; if he is not almost ready to return, be clothed with robes of 
righteousness, and go up to Jerusalem. Orson Hyde hath need of him. 
"A letter was written accordingly, but the Prophet's generous tender 
of forgiveness and fellowship called forth no response from Oliver 
Cowdery, once the second Elder of the Church, and the first to make pub- 
lic proclamation of the Gospel to the world. Subsequently, however, he 
did return, namely in 1848." — Rise and Fall of Nauvoo, p. 70. 






CHAPTER VI 

JOSEPH SMITH AS LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 

In the work of building up the city of Nauvoo, on the site of 
the little village of Commerce, Smith had the fullest opportu- 
nity to manifest his ideas upon governmental and civic matters. 
With virtually the entire body of the Church collected in one 
place, he exercised his genius for organization in inaugurating 
a community and a government that were excellent, in many 
obvious particulars, as they were novel and original. In the 
work of organizing the city, it was necessary, first-place, to 
secure a charter from the state legislature; and such an instru- 
ment was drawn up, accordingly, under Smith's direction ; giving 
the city council exceptionally wide powers — virtually in inde- 
pendence, within the limitations of the constitutions, of the state 
of Illinois and of the United States. It authorized, also, the 
enlistment and equipment of a military organization, which was 
subsequently known as the " Nauvoo Legion," and the building 
of a university. As Smith stated in his journal : 

"The City Charter of Nauvoo is of my own plan and device. I 
concocted it for the salvation of the Church, and on principles so broad, 
that every honest man might dwell secure under its protective influence 
without distinction of sect or party." — History of the Church, Vol. IV., 
p. 249. 

The charge has frequently been made that the charter of 
Nauvoo virtually erected the city into an independent state, so 
far, at least, as an act of legislature could avail to accomplish 
such a result. This is supposed by critics of Mormonism to in- 
dicate the essentially " seditious " character of the procedure, 
and some have suggested — so far, at least, as any one dares to 
make such a suggestion in the face of historic facts that are 
liable to be unearthed by investigators — that the charter was 
passed by the state legislature under some kind of unlawful 
pressure, or in an irregular manner. In view of these miserable 
lies, so widely circulated by disingenuous and slovenly critics, it 
must be a surprise to the reading public to learn that the first 
charter of the city of Nauvoo was passed by unanimous vote of 
both houses of the state legislature in regular session, early in 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 69 

December, 1840; was signed by Governor Thomas Carlin on the 
1 6th o£ that month, and was witnessed by Stephen A. Douglas, 
as Secretary of State, two days later. It will be further inter- 
esting to learn that Abraham Lincoln, then a member of the 
lower house, voted for the charter, and even congratulated the 
Mormon agent, John C. Bennett, on its successful passage. We 
may understand, therefore, the calibre of some of the men who 
" helped perpetrate this enormity ," also, how " high up " the al- 
leged " corrupting influence " must have reached. An account 
of the passage of this measure and of the conditions leading up 
to it has been given by Thomas Ford, later Governor of the state. 
If, as he claims, the considerations involved were wholly politi- 
cal, it would seem that no " extraordinary pressure" had been 
exercised, except by the regular party leaders, who may be as- 
sumed to have been moved solely by ambition. Mr. Ford writes, 
as follows: 

"In the State of Missouri, the Mormons had always supported the 
Democratic party. They had been driven out by a Democratic governor 
of a Democratic State ; and when they appealed to Mr. Van Buren, the 
Democratic President of the United States, for relief against the Mis- 
sourians, he refused to recommend it, for want of constitutional power in 
the United States to coerce a sovereign State in the execution of its 
domestic polity. This soured and embittered the Mormons against the 
Democrats. Mr. Clay, as a member of the United States Senate, and 
John T. Stuart, a member of the House of Representatives in Congress, 
from Illinois, both Whigs, understood their cause, and introduced and 
countenanced their memorials against Missouri; so that, when the Mor- 
mons came to this State, they attached themselves to the Whig party. 
In August, 1840, they voted unanimously for the Whig candidates for the 
Senate and Assembly. In the November following, they voted for the 
Whig candidate for President; and in August, 1841, they voted for 
John J. Stuart, the Whig candidate for Congress in their district. 

" At the legislature of 1840-41 it became a matter of great interest, 
with both parties, to conciliate these people. They were already numer- 
ous, and were fast increasing by emigration from all parts. It was evi- 
dent that they were to possess much power in elections. They had al- 
ready signified their intention of joining neither party, further than they 
could be supported by that party, but to vote for such persons as had done 
or were willing to do them most service. And the leaders of both 
parties believed that the Mormons would soon hold the balance of power, 
and exerted themselves on both sides, by professions, and kindness and 
devotion to their interests, to win their support. 

" In this state of the case Dr. John C. Bennett presented himself at the 
seat of government as the agent of the Mormons. This Bennett was 
probably the greatest scamp in the western country. I have made par- 
ticular enquiries concerning him, and have traced him in several places in 
which he had lived before he had joined the Mormons in Ohio, Indiana 
and Illinois, and he was everywhere accounted the same debauched, un- 
principled and profligate character. . . . He flattered both sides with the 
hope of Mormon favor; and both sides expected to receive their votes. 
A city charter drawn up to suit the Mormons was presented to the Senate 
by Mr. Little. It was referred to the judiciary committee, of which Mr, 



jo THE REAL MORMONISM 

Snyder, a Democrat, was chairman, who reported it back recommending 
its passage. The vote was taken, the ayes and noes were not called for, 
no one opposed it, but all were busy and active in hurrying it through. 
In like manner it passed the House of Representatives, where it was never 
read except by its title ; the ayes and noes were not called for, and the 
same universal zeal in its favor was manifested here which had been so 
conspicuously displayed in the Senate. 

" This city charter and other charters passed in the same way by this 
legislature, incorporated Nauvoo, provided for the election of a Mayor, 
four Aldermen, and nine Counsellors ; gave them power to pass all or- 
dinances necessary for the peace, benefit, good order, regulation, con- 
venience, or cleanliness of the city, and for the protection of property 
from fire, which were not repugnant to the Constitution of the United 
States, or this State. This seemed to give them power to pass ordi- 
nances in violation of the laws of the State, and to erect a system of gov- 
ernment for themselves. This charter also established a mayor's court 
with exclusive jurisdiction of all cases arising under the city ordinances, 
subject to an appeal to the municipal court. It established a municipal 
court to be composed of the mayor as chief justice, and the four al- 
dermen as his associates ; which court was to have jurisdiction of appeals 
from the mayor or aldermen, subject to an appeal again to the circuit 
court of the county. The municipal court was also clothed with power to 
issue writs of habeas corpus in all cases arising under the ordinances of 
the city. 

" This charter also incorporated the militia of Nauvoo into a military 
legion, to be called the ' Nauvoo Legion.' It was made entirely inde- 
pendent of the military organization of the State, and not subject to the 
command of any officer of the State militia, except the Governor him- 
self, as commander-in-chief. . . . 

" Thus it was proposed to reestablish for the Mormons a government 
within a government, a legislature with power to pass ordinances at war 
with the laws of the State; courts to execute them, with but little de- 
pendence upon the constitutional judiciary; and a military force at their 
own command, to be governed by its own by-laws and ordinances, and 
subject to no State authority but that of the Governor. It must be ac- 
knowledged that these charters were unheard-of, and anti-republican in 
many particulars; and capable of infinite abuse by a people disposed to 
abuse them. . . . One would have thought that these charters stood a 
poor chance of passing the legislature of a republican people jealous of 
their liberties. Nevertheless they did pass unanimously through both 
houses. Messrs. Little and Douglas managed with great dexterity with 
their respective parties. Each party was afraid to object to them for 
fear of losing the Mormon vote, and each believed that it had secured 
their favor." — 'History of Illinois, pp. 262-265. 

In view of the widely repeated charge that the Nauvoo charter 
had for its primary object some seditious " resistance of organ- 
ized authority " on the part of Smith and the Mormons, several 
reflections logically occur at this point. In the first place, it is 
scarcely remarkable that a lot of people, who had been so out- 
rageously treated in both Ohio and Missouri, should wish to 
obtain some kind of exceptional powers that should secure them 
the ordinary rights of human beings, so generously guaranteed 
in the constitutions of all the states of the union and of the 
United States. If, however, wittingly, or not, such people sought 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 71 

for and obtained powers " capable of infinite abuse by a people 
disposed to abuse them," as Ford states, such fact need not be 
wholly blamed to the Mormons or to Joseph Smith, who " con- 
cocted " the charter. The question naturally arises as to whether 
" republican people jealous of their liberties " need not dread the 
activities of legislatures who will grant such plenary powers, 
quite as badly as the persons who ask for them. Whatever may 
have been Smith's motives in " concocting " such a charter as 
this, they could scarcely be more incompatible with the " safety 
of American institutions," as another cant phrase has it, than 
the kind of lawmakers who will sell their votes for the sake of 
hoped-for party advantages. The fact remains, however, that 
there is no distinct evidence that the privileges granted in the 
Nauvoo charter were abused to any conspicuous degree; also, 
that the popular uprisings against the Mormons in Illinois were 
no more in protest against this kind of " favoritism " than were 
the perfectly similar disorders in both Ohio and Missouri. 

In order that the motives of Smith in the founding of Nauvoo 
may be thoroughly understood, it is necessary to refer to orig- 
inal documents and the testimony of contemporary history. 
These will furnish a very fair line of evidence that an orderly 
and stable community was in contemplation, instead of any of the 
numerous deadly, not to say " preposterous," objects as supposed 
by various critics. Under date, May 24, 1841, the following 
proclamation was issued to all the Saints in the stakes outside of 
Nauvoo, at Kirtland, Ohio, and at Independence, Missouri (the 
" centre-stake " of Zion) : 

"The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day- 
Saints, anxious to promote the prosperity of said Church, feel it their 
duty to call upon the Saints who reside out of this county [Hancock], to 
make preparations to come in without delay. This is important, and 
should be attended to by all who feel an interest in the prosperity of this 
corner-stone of Zion. Here the Temple must be raised, the University 
built, and other edifices erected which are necessary for the great work 
of the last days, and which can only be done by a concentration of energy 
and enterprise. Let it, therefore, be understood that all the stakes, 
excepting those in this county, and in Lee County, Iowa, are discon- 
tinued, and the Saints instructed to settle in this county as soon as cir- 
cumstances will permit." — History of the Church, Vol. IV., p. 362. 

Commenting on this announcement and invitation, Orson F. 
Whitney writes as follows: 

" To this call the Saints responded with alacrity, and came pouring in 
from all parts outside the two counties mentioned, to engage in the work 
of building up and beautifying 'the corner stone of Zion/ 

" To the followers of the Prophet, as well as to the Prophet himself, 
this was all that the call really meant. Temple-building, with the Saints, 
we need scarcely inform the reader, amounts to what might be termed a 
divine passion; a work done by Time for Eternity. . . . No work in 



72 THE REAL MORMONISM 

their estimation is so important, — not even their proselyting labors 
among the nations. Next to their religious mission of preaching, prose- 
lyting, and administering in their temples for the salvation of the living 
and the dead, is their penchant for founding institutions of learning. 
This fact Mormon history abundantly verifies, in spite of all that has 
been said and thought to the contrary. This explains in part that ready 
obedience, — wrongfully supposed to be a mere servile yielding to the dic- 
tum of a despot, — manifested by the Saints to the word and will of their 
leader. He was simply inviting them to engage in the work most con- 
genial to their souls; and this, as we have said, was all that the call 
really meant. 

" But to the politicians it meant more, — or rather, meant something 
entirely different. It was construed by them as a shrewd political 
maneuver, foreshadowing the ultimate domination of Hancock County 
by the Mormons, and the relegation to the rear, as a hopeless minority, 
of the combined forces of Whigs, Democrats and whatever else, in spite 
of all that could be done to hinder. It was believed, in short, to be a 
'colonizing' scheme, a trick to increase and render supreme the local 
Mormon vote. Already jealous of the power wielded by the Saints at 
the polls, and professing to ' view with alarm ' the prospective increase 
of that power by means of the proposed concentration, some of the poli- 
ticians now set about organizing in Hancock County a new party, the 
avowed object of which was to oppose and counteract the political in- 
fluence of the Mormons in county and in state/' — History of Utah, Vol. 
I., pp. 187-188. 

The accuracy of this view is borne out by reference to a dis- 
course delivered by Joseph Smith on June 1 1, 1843. (See His- 
tory of the Church, Vol. V ., p. 423). That he and his associates 
were primarily far more interested in founding a city that should 
be a " city of the Saints " in fact, as well as in name, seems to be 
indicated by the several ordinances early passed by the Council 
looking toward the maintainance of order, sound morals and 
human rights. Nor were such ordinances merely verbal declara- 
tions, as is amply evidenced by the testimonies of non-Mormon 
writers. Thus, in his discussion of the chartering and early his- 
tory of the city, Ford relates: 

" The common council passed many ordinances for the punishment of 
crime. The punishments were generally different from, and vastly more 
severe, than the punishments provided by the laws of the State." — His- 
tory of Illinois, p. 266. 

Some such tendency as this is shown in a debate of the Council 
held on March 4, 1843, which is reported thus: 

" In debate, George A. Smith said imprisonment was better than hang- 
ing. 

" I (Joseph Smith) replied, I was opposed to hanging, even if a man 
kill another, I will shoot him, .or cut off his head, spill his blood on the 
ground, and let the smoke thereof ascend up to God ; and if ever I have 
the privilege of making a law on this subject, I will have it so." — History 
of the Church, Vol. V., p. 296. 

This statement was evidently made in harmony with the Old 
Testament dictum, "By man shall his blood be shed" (Gen. ix. 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 73 

6), the "blood atonement," so called, which will be discussed at 
another place. Similarly severe in point of penalties prescribed 
was the ordinance presented by Smith, Nov. 13, 1841, entitled 
" Concerning Vagrants and Disorderly Persons." In this act it ' 
is prescribed that all vagrants, all drunk or disorderly persons, 
those guilty of using profane or indecent language, etc., shall 
M be required to enter into security for good behavior for a rea- 
sonable time," or, in default of such security, to suffer imprison- 
ment for not more than six months, or to be fined five hundred 
dollars, or both, at the discretion of the court. Such provision 
was undoubtedly intended to discourage the very kind of dis- 
orders that had so sorely assailed the people in every other 
locality. Nevertheless, as seems evident, it contemplated no 
abridgement of popular rights of assemblage : it could under no 
circumstances be construed into a " veiled attempt " to curtail 
individual freedom of conscience. This is true, because, as spe- 
cifically enacted, on March 1, 1841 : 

"Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Latter-day Saints, 
Quakers, Episcopals, Universalists, Unitarians, Mohammedans, and all 
other religious sects and denominations whatever, shall have free tolera- 
tion, and equal privileges, in this city; and should any person t>e guilty 
of ridiculing, and abusing or otherwise depreciating another in conse- 
quence of his religion, or of disturbing or interrupting any religious meet- 
ing within the limits of this city, he shall, on conviction thereof before 
the Mayor or Municipal Court, be considered a disturber of the public 
peace, and fined in any sum exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned 
not exceeding six months, or both, at the discretion of said Mayor or 
Court." — History of the Church, Vol. IV. , p. 306." 
In addition, any municipal officer was required to report any 
violation of this ordinance to the Mayor, and any officer was 
authorized to arrest all violators, " either with or without proc- 
ess." Of course, as may be claimed, this ordinance was prob- 
ably framed with a vivid recollection of the wanton interrup- 
tions of Mormon meetings in Missouri, but it must not be 
forgotten that it proscribes all interruptions of any kind of 
religious gathering, and protects " all other religious sects and 
denominations whatever" with equal penalties. Nor has any 
case of unlawful, or unworthy, discrimination in this matter ever 
been brought to the attention of the public by any of the enemies 
of Smith and Mormonism, nor was such discrimination alleged 
by the mobbers who harried and finally effected the migration 
of the people of Nauvoo. 

That the above, and all similar ordinances, passed by the City 
Council of Nauvoo, were honestly and deliberately framed for 
the purpose of maintaining order, decency and the free exercise 
of individual rights, there can be no doubt in any candid mind. 
Furthermore, under the leadership of the Prophet himself, the 



74 THE REAL MORMONISM 

City Ordinances struck direct at the root of crime and disorder 
by passing the first effective temperance ordinance in the history 
of America. With an instinct which, in any other person, would 
be called truly " statesmanlike," Smith evidently understood that 
absolute prohibition of the sale of intoxicating liquors would be 
an abortive measure, as, indeed, it has proved, sadly enough, 
wherever attempted; and, therefore, sought to reduce the liquor 
evil to its lowest terms by an ordinance forbidding the sale of 
alcoholic drinks in small quantities. This measure put a stop 
to " tippling," which is the principal evil to be combatted, as in- 
telligent reformers will agree. To limit the sales of alcoholic 
drinks to large quantity lots should, as reflection will show, prove 
a very effective discouragement to overindulgence. Few per- 
sons having a taste for whisky would care to purchase it by the 
gallon, or not at all; also, the worst form of whisky drinking is 
not that which is done at home. The following is the Ordinance 
passed at the instance of Smith, on February 15, 1841 : 

"AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO TEMPERANCE 
" Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, 
that all persons and establishments whatever, in this city, are prohibited 
from vending whisky in a less quantity than a gallon, or other spirituous 
liquors in a less quantity than a quart, to any person whatever, ex- 
cepting on the recommendation of a physician, duly accredited in 
writing, by the Chancellor and Regents of the University of the City 
of Nauvoo ; and any person guilty of any act contrary to the prohibition 
contained in this ordinance, shall, on conviction thereof before the Mayor 
or municipal court, be fined in any sum not exceeding twenty-five dol- 
lars, at the discretion of said Mayor or municipal court ; and any person 
or persons who shall attempt to evade this ordinance by giving away 
liquor, or by any other means, shall be considered alike amenable, and 
fined as aforesaid." — History of the Church, Vol. IV., p. 299. 

That this ordinance was considered an effective means of curb- 
ing the evils of intemperance is evident, since no licensing pro- 
vision is recorded. Indeed, under date July 12, 1841, Smith 
records as follows: 

" I was in the City Council, and moved that any person in the City of 
Nauvoo be at liberty to sell vinous liquors in any quantity, subject to the 
city ordinances." — History of the Church, Vol. IV., p. 383. 

Previously, on April 6, 1841, he records, in connection with 
the account of the laying of the corner-stones, of the Temple, at 
which great crowds of people were present: 

"What added greatly to the happiness we experienced on this inter- 
esting occasion, is the fact that we heard no obscene or profane lan- 
guage ; neither saw we any one intoxicated. Can the same be said of a 
similar assemblage in any other city in the Union? Thank God that the 
intoxicating beverage, the bane of humanity in these last days, is becom- 
ing a stranger in Nauvoo." — History of the Church, Vol. IV., pp. 330-331. 

Of course, as may be remarked, " obscene or profane Ian- 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 75 

guage " and intoxication are not usually expected in persons who 
gather to a religious service, but it must not be forgotten that 
the experience of the Mormons had been otherwise. If these 
testimonies are to be accepted, they seem competent to prove 
that the " exceptional powers " granted to the City Council of 
Nauvoo had not been misplaced, but were being used to the ad- 
vantage of order and decency, in a manner impossible, except by 
special local legislation. It is interesting to note, that, although 
the State Legislature afterward " reconsidered," and greatly 
modified the charter of Nauvoo, that the principle involved, local 
autonomy within a wide range of power, was not abandoned, 
even in Illinois; being embodied in the Charter of the great city 
of Chicago, where local self-government, in such matters, at 
least, as " option " as to the sale of intoxicants, extends even to 
the wards of the Municipality. The result, in recent years, has 
been that prohibition of the liquor traffic has been established in 
most parts of that city, a result impossible, for example, in New 
York, where the local government is often hampered by " up- 
state legislators," as frequently complained. In some points 
Joseph Smith seems to have had a firm grasp on the principles 
necessary to conserve popular liberties, and render government 
effective. 

That Smith was intensely alive to the requirements of good 
government and social order, particularly in matters touching 
personal morals, seems to be indicated by the following entry in 
his journal, under date May 14, 1842 : 

" I attended city council in the morning, and advocated strongly the 
necessity of some active measures being taken to suppress houses and 
acts of infamy in the city; for the protection of the innocent and vir- 
tuous, and the good of public morals; showing clearly that there were 
certain characters in the place, who were disposed to corrupt the morals 
and chastity of our citizens, and that houses of infamy did exist, upon 
which a city ordinance concerning brothels and disorderly characters 
was passed, to prohibit such things. It was published in this day's Wasp. 

m " I also spoke at length for the repeal of the ordinance of the city 
licensing merchants, hawkers, taverns and ordinaries, desiring that this 
might be a free people, and enjoy equal rights and privileges, and the 

ordinances were repealed." — History of the Church, Vol. V ., p. 8. 

From very many points of view it is to be deeply regretted 
that, at the^ time of their expulsion from Missouri, the Mormons 
did not strike westward at once, and, in some unsettled region, 
build up their own social and governmental institutions, under 
the direction of Joseph Smith himself. The world might then 
have had the opportunity of correctly estimating this man and 
his influence, apart from the disgusting necessity of constantly 
reviewing the false accusations made by wicked and prejudiced 
assailants, and describing the doings of scoundrelism masquerad- 



76 THE REAL MORMONISM 

ing under the disguise of public virtue, with the leadership of 
alleged righteous men. Had he then attempted to carry out the 
design attributed to him by various persons of becoming " a 
second Mohammed," making " one gore of blood from the Rocky 
Mountains to the Atlantic ocean," and giving the alternatives for 
peace, " Joseph Smith or the Sword," there would have been 
ample opportunity and sufficient warrant for dealing with him 
by the proper use of the accredited guardians of peace and law, 
without enlisting drunken and disorderly mobs in the militia 
forces of any state, or in the service of the general government. 
It would have been interesting, indeed, to have been able to 
record precisely how far his surprising design of welding gov- 
ernment and religion — deriving the powers of government 
direct from the presumed authority of God — could have been 
successful and operative. Had he failed utterly, it would have 
been unnecessary to heap further reproaches upon his head : had 
he succeeded wonderfully, the alternative would have been no 
such slogan as "Joseph Smith or the Sword." Despite, then, 
the wonderful and highly creditable achievements of men in- 
spired by his teachings, who years after his death wrought nobly 
and well in the deserts of Utah, the world has lost something in 
the fact that Smith himself, like a modern Moses, was not per- 
mitted to enter into even that " land of promise." The follow- 
ing seems to set forth Smith's ideals and purposes, and, if not 
written by himself, was certainly from the pen of Sidney Rig- 
don, or some other man close to him. In his journal, under date 
July 15, 1842, he records this: 

" I find an editorial, in the Times and Seasons, on the government of 
God as follows: — 

" The Government of God. 
" The government of the Almighty has always been very dissimilar to 
the governments of men, whether we refer to His religious government, 
or to the government of nations. The government of God has always 
tended to promote peace, unity, harmony, strength, and happiness ; while 
that of man has been productive of confusion, disorder, weakness, and 
misery. 

" The greatest acts of the mighty men have been to depopulate nations 
and to overthrow kingdoms ; and whilst they have exalted themselves and 
become glorious, it has been at the expense of the lives of the innocent, 
the blood of the oppressed, the moans of the widow, and the tears of the 
orphan. 

" Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Persia, Carthage, Rome, — each was raised 
to dignity amidst the clash of arms and the din of war ; and whilst their 
triumphant leaders led forth their victorious armies to glory and victory, 
their ears were saluted with the groans of the dying and the misery and 
distress of the human family ; before them the earth was a paradise, and 
behind them a desolate wilderness ; their kingdoms were founded in 
carnage and bloodshed, and sustained by oppression, tyranny, and 
despotism. The designs of God, on the other hand, have been to pro- 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE JJ 

mote the universal good of the universal world; to establish peace and 
good will among men; to promote the principles of eternal truth; to 
bring about a state of things that shall unite man to his fellow man; 
cause the world to 'beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears 
into pruning hooks/ make the nations of the earth dwell in peace, and 
to bring about the millennial glory, when 'the earth shall yield its in- 
crease, resume its paradisean glory, and become as the garden of the 
Lord.' 

" The great and wise of ancient days have failed in all their attempts 
to promote eternal power, peace and happiness. Their nations have 
crumbled to pieces ; their thrones have been cast down in their turn, and 
their cities, and their mightiest works of art have been annihilated; or 
their dilapidated towers, of time-worn monuments have left us but feeble 
traces of their former magnificence and ancient grandeur. They pro- 
claim as with a voice of thunder, those imperishable truths — that man's 
strength is weakness, his wisdom is folly, his glory is his shame. 

" Monarchical, aristocratical, and republican governments of their vari- 
ous kinds and grades, have, in their turn, been raised to dignity, and 
prostrated in the dust. The plans of the greatest politicians, the wisest 
senators, and the most profound statesmen have been exploded ; and the 
proceedings of the greatest chieftains, the bravest generals, and the wisest 
kings have fallen to the ground. Nation has succeeded nation, and we 
have inherited nothing but their folly. History records their puerile 
plans, their short-lived glory, their feeble intellect and their ignoble deeds. 

"Have we increased in knowledge or intelligence? Where is there a 
man that can step forth and alter the destiny of nations and promote the 
happiness of the world? Or where is there a kingdom or nation that 
can promote the universal happiness of its own subjects, or even their 
general well being? Our nation, which possesses greater resources than 
any other, is rent, from centre to circumference, with party strife, po- 
litical intrigues, and sectional interest; our counselors are panic stricken, 
our legislators are astonished, and our senators are confounded, our mer- 
chants are paralyzed, our tradesmen are disheartened, our mechanics out 
of employ, our farmers distressed, and our poor crying for bread, our 
banks are broken, our credit ruined, and our states overwhelmed in debt, 
yet we are, and have been in peace. . . . 

"It has been the design of Jehovah, from the commencement of the 
world, and is His purpose now, to regulate the affairs of the world in 
his own time, to stand as a head of the universe, and take the reins of 
government in His own hand. When that is done, judgment will be ad- 
ministered in righteousness; anarchy and confusion will be destroyed, 
and ' nations will learn war no more.' It is for want of this great gov- 
erning principle, that all this confusion has existed ; ' for it is not in man 
that walketh, to direct his steps'; this we have fully shown'. 

" If there was anything great or good in the world, it came from God. 
The construction of the first vessel was given to Noah, by revelation. 
The design of the ark (of the Covenant) was given by God, 'a pattern 
of heavenly things.' The learning of the Egyptians, and their knowledge 
of astronomy was no doubt taught them by Abraham and Joseph, as their 
records testify, who received it from the Lord. . . . Wisdom to govern 
the house of Israel was given to Solomon, and to the judges of Israel; 
and if he had always been their king, and they subject to his mandate, 
and obedient to his laws, they would still have been a great and mighty 
people — the rulers of the universe, and the wonder of the world. 

"This is the only thing that can bring about the 'restitution of all 



7 8 



THE REAL MORMONISM 



things spoken of by all the holy Prophets since the world was ' — 
'the dispensation of the fullness of times, when God shall gather 
together all things in one.' Other attempts to promote universal 
peace and happiness in the human family have proved abortive; 
every effort has failed ; every plan and design has fallen to the ground ; 
it needs the wisdom of God, the intelligence of God, and the power of 
God to accomplish this. . . . 

" In regard to the building up of Zion, it has to be done by the coun- 
sel of Jehovah, by the revelations of heaven ; and we should feel to say, 
' if the Lord go not with us, carry us not up hence.' We would say to 
the Saints that come here, we have laid the foundation for the gathering 
of God's people to this place, and they expect that when the Saints do 
come, they will be under the counsel that God has appointed. . . . We are 
trying here to gird up our loins, and purge from our midst the workers 
of iniquity; and we hope that when our brethren arrive from abroad, 
they will assist us to roll forth this good work, and to accomplish this 
great design, that ' Zion may be built up in righteousness ; and all nations 
flock to her standard ' ; that as God's people, under His direction, and 
obedient to His law, we may grow up in righteousness and truth; that 
when His purposes shall be accomplished, we may receive an inheritance 
among those that are sanctified." — History of the Church, Vol. V ., pp. 
61-66, 

Very similar ideas were expressed in a discourse delivered by 
Sidney Rigdon at the General Conference of the Church in 
April, 1844. He says in part: 

" I will endeavor to show why salvation belongs to us more peculiarly, 
in contradistinction to all other bodies. Will this be clear enough? 

" I discover one thing : Mankind have labored under one universal 
mistake about this — viz., salvation was distinct from government ; i. e., 
that I can build a Church without government, and that thing have power 
to save me ! 

" When God sets up a system of salvation, He sets up a system of gov- 
ernment that shall rule over temporal and spiritual affairs. 

" Every man is a government of himself, and infringes upon no gov- 
ernment. A man is not an honorable man, if he is not above all law 
and above government. 

" I see in our town we have need of government. Some study law only 
for the purpose of seeing how many feuds, how many broils they can 
kick up, how much they can disturb the peace of the public without 
breaking the law, and then say — ' I know my rights, and will have them ' ; 
* I did not know it was the marshal, or I would not have done it/ 

" He is no gentleman. Gentlemen would not insult a poor man in the 
istreet, but would bow to him, as much as those who appear more re- 
spectable. No marshal or any one else, should pull me up. We ought 
to live a great way within the circle of the laws of the land. I would 
live far above all law. 

" The law of God is far more righteous than the laws of the land. The 
kingdom of God does not interfere with the laws of the land, but keeps 
itself by its own laws." — Ibid., Vol. VI., p. 292. 

Although such expressions used by Smith and his coadjutors 
have often been quoted as evidence of " seditious intent," and 
the claiming of powers and authority in defiance of the civil law 
— even to its subversion — it is quite evident that they mean no 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE fg 

more than that the law of God is the real source of all authority, 
and that any one who is animated by a desire to live and act in 
accord with its principles is " above the law," while, at the same 
time, " not against the law." Similar teachings have been often 
propounded throughout Christian centuries, particularly on the 
authority of St. Paul, and have never been seriously misun- 
derstood. The sole difference in the present case is that the 
persons here speaking profess the belief that the law of God 
finds preeminent statement for this age in the mouths of ac- 
credited prophets and apostles. Such passages furnish very im- 
perfect grounds for charges of " sedition " or unlawful defiance 
of authority. At the least, there is no known statement of 
Joseph Smith, which distinctly voices the sentiments thus 
ascribed to him by hostile, and, too often also, disingenuous, 
critics. Nevertheless, in whatever manner such people may dis- 
tort his words, and refuse to give credit for human sentiments 
to Smith and his immediate associates, it is altogether evident 
that most of his followers — those also engaged in work in be- 
half of the Church — held opinions very different from these, 
also quite in accord with what we have stated were his actual 
beliefs and ideals. The following, from the English organ of 
Mormonism, is significant: 

" In the midst of the general distress which prevails in this country 
[England] on account of want of employment, the high price of pro- 
visions, the oppression, priestcraft, and inquity of the land, it is pleasing 
to the household of faith to contemplate a country reserved by the Al- 
mighty as a sure asylum for the poor and oppressed, — a country every 
way adapted to their wants and conditions — and still more pleasing to 
think that thousands of the Saints have already made their escape from 
this country, and all its abuses and distress, and that they have found a 
home, where, by persevering industry, they may enjoy all the blessings of 
liberty, peace, and plenty. 

" It is not yet two years since the Saints in England, in obedience to 
the command of their Heavenly Father, commenced a general plan of 
emigration to the land of Zion. 

" They were few in number, generally poor, and had every opposition 
to encounter, both from a want of means and from the enemies of truth, 
who circulated every falsehood calculated to hinder or discourage them. 
Newspapers and tracts were put in circulation, sermons and public 
speeches were delivered in abundance, to warn the people that Nauvoo 
was a barren waste on the sea shore — that it was a wild and unin- 
habited swamp — that it was full of savages, wild beasts and serpents — 
that all the English Saints who should go there would be immediately 
sold for slaves by the leaders of the Church — that there was nothing 
to eat, no water, and no way possible to obtain a living; that all who 
went there would have their money taken from them, and themselves 
imprisoned, etc. 

" But notwithstanding all these things, thousands have emigrated from 
this country, and now find themselves comfortably situated, and in the 
enjoyment of the comforts of life, and in the midst of society where 
God is worshipped in the spirit of truth and union, and where nearly all 



8o THE REAL MORMONISM 

are agreed in religious principles. They all find plenty of employment 
and good wages, while the expense of living is about one-eighth of what 
it costs in this country. ... 

" Instead of a lonely swamp or dense forest filled with savages, wild 
beasts, and serpents, large cities and villages are springing up in their 
midst, with schools, colleges, and temples. The mingled noise of mechan- 
ism, the bustle of trade, the song of devotion, are heard in the distance, 
while thousands of flocks and herds are seen grazing peacefully on the 
plains, and the fields and gardens smile with plenty, and the wild red men 
of the forest are only seen as they come on a friendly visit to the Saints, 
and to learn the way of the Lord. . . . 

"Who that has a heart to feel, or a soul to rejoice, will not be glad at 
so glorious a plan of deliverance ? Who will not hail the messengers of 
the Latter-day Saints as the friends of humanity — the benefactors of 
mankind ? 

"'Thousands have gone, and millions more must go, 
The Gentiles as a stream to Zion flow.' 

rt Yes, friends, this glorious work has but just commenced; and we now 
call upon the Saints to come forward with united effort, with persevering 
exertion, and with union of action, and help yourselves and one another 
to emigrate to the Land of Promise. 

" In this way we shall not only bring about the deliverance of tens of 
thousands who must otherwise suffer in this country, but we shall add 
to the strength of Zion, and help to rear her cities and temples — 'to make 
her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord,' 
while the young men and the middle aged will serve to increase her 
legions — to strengthen her bulwark — that the enemies of law and or- 
der who have sought her destruction, may stand afar off and tremble, and 
her banners become terrible to the wicked. 

" Ye children of Zion, once more we say, in the name of Israel's God, 
arise, break off your shackles, loose yourselves from the bands of your 
neck, and go forth to inherit the earth, and to build up the waste places 
of many generations. . . . 

" We do not wish to confine the benefit of our emigration plan to the 
Saints, but are willing to grant all industrious, honest, and well-disposed 
persons who may apply to us the same information and assistance as 
emigrants to the western states, there being abundant room for more than 
a hundred millions of inhabitants." — Millennial Star, February, 1842. 

This document, which reads like an ultra-sanguine invitation 
to the " oppressed of every nation " to take up their residence in 
" this broad country," and enjoy the advantages elsewhere denied 
them, embodies merely the same kind of golden hopes and prom- 
ises that have attracted to our shores such myriads of the very 
class of people, as those to whom it is addressed. If written at 
the present day, sadly enough, it must misrepresent matters in 
sundry particulars. It was more nearly true seventy years ago, 
when it was issued; although, even then, somewhat colored with 
the high hopes, great ambitions and lively faith of the Prophet's 
disciples — feelings undoubtedly shared by himself. This man 
and his followers, in fact, actually hoped to found a " gathering- 
place for Israel," a nucleus of God's redeemed people on earth, 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 81 

and to prepare the world for the coming of the Lord. At the 
least, they hoped to provide a refuge for the downtrodden; and 
in every place where they founded a settlement, they did their 
best to realize this aim. Of this there can be no doubt whatever. 
In another aspect, also, this appeal is notable. It was made by 
the accredited representatives of the most successful agency at 
work in our midst to-day for the actual welding-together into a 
type almost tribal or national in character people of diverse 
origins and instincts, transforming them, as already mentioned, 
into a " peculiar people " in the highest acceptation of the term. 
Some such agency at work among us should serve a wonderful 
use in bringing our armies of immigrants to conform to an 
"American type," instead of embarrassing us, as at present, to 
provide for the diverse interests, sentiments and habits of peo- 
ples, apparently irreconcilably antagonistic to each other, and to 
the mass in which they are found. If Smith and his associates 
went to this length " to make money," as some stupid critics still 
allege, may we have more such " money-makers " among us. 
They are the kind of " capitalists " very sorely needed at the 
present time. 

Nevertheless, in spite of all efforts, and in spite of the great 
faith and courage of the actual workers in the " upbuilding of 
Zion," there were sore embarrassments encountered in the work. 
Thus, many of the English converts who gathered at Nauvoo 
were greatly distressed for lack of work, which matter is men- 
tioned by the Prophet in his journal, under date June 13, 1843, 
where the following entry occurs : 

"Attended a general council in the lodge room to devise ways and 
means to furnish the poor with labor. Many of the English Saints have 
gathered to Nauvoo, most of whom are unacquainted with any kind of 
labor, except spinning, weaving, etc.; and having no factories in this 
place, they are troubled to know what to do. Those who have funds 
have more generally neglected to gather, and left the poor to build up 
the city and the kingdom of God in these last days." — History of the 
Church, Vol V., p. 25. 

It may be that some critics will find it possible to blame Smith 
for such conditions, precisely as they blame the Mormons of the 
present day, for representing the possibilities and advantages of 
their American settlements altogether too favorably to pros- 
pective immigrants. We must not forget, however, that we are 
considering no " real estate " or colonization enterprises, but, 
precisely, an order which, in the minds of its directors and agents, 
has been founded and is being conducted under the direct com- 
mand of the Almighty. Thus, in such circumstances, as in his 
explanation of the Missouri persecutions, Smith upbraids the 
people for their " lack of faith and obedience," which, as he 



82 THE REAL MORMONISM 

states, are the real occasions for the withdrawal of divine favor 
and protection. This may seem a severe characterization for 
people who endured the hardships suffered by the Mormons in 
Missouri; but it is recorded that there were many examples of 
defection among them — notably of several of the Apostles, 
Marsh, Hdye, et al. — and that Smith himself bore the brunt of 
much of the severest trouble suffered by his people. His experi- 
ence seems to have agreed with that of other professed advo- 
cates of righteousness, in the fact that he found human nature a 
" refractory material." Thus, four days previous to making the 
entry above quoted he had delivered an address before the Female 
Relief Society, which is reported, in part, as follows: 

" President Joseph Smith opened the meeting by prayer, and then ad- 
dressed the congregation on the design of the institution. . . . 

" It is one evidence that men are unacquainted with the principles of 
godliness to behold the contraction of affectionate feelings and lack of 
charity in the world. The power and glory of godliness is spread out 
on a broad principle to throw out the mantle of charity. God does not 
look on sin with allowance, but when men have sinned, there must be al- 
lowance made for them. 

"All the religious world is boasting of righteousness: it is the doc- 
trine of the devil to retard the human mind, and hinder our progress, by 
filling us with self-righteousness. The nearer we get to our heavenly 
Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing 
souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast 
their sins behind our backs. My talk is intended for all this society ; if 
you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another. 

" President Smith then referred them to the conduct of the Savior, 
when He was taken and crucified, etc. 

" He then made a promise in the name of the Lord, saying that that 
soul who has righteousness enough to ask God in the secret place for life, 
every day of their lives, shall live to three score years and ten. We 
must walk uprightly all the day long. How glorious are the principles of 
righteousness ! We are full of selfishness ; the devil flatters us that we 
are very righteous, when we are feeding on the faults of others. We can 
only live by worshipping our God ; all must do it for themselves ; none can 
do it for another. How mild the Savior dealt with Peter, saying, ' When 
thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.' At another time, He said 
to him, ' Lovest thou me ? ' and having received Peter's reply, He said, 
' Feed my sheep.' If the sisters loved the Lord, let them feed the sheep, 
and not destroy them. How oft have wise men and women sought to dic- 
tate (to) Brother Joseph by saying, 'O, if I were Brother Joseph, I 
would do that and that ; ' but if they were in Brother Joseph's shoes they 
would find that men or women could not be compelled into the kingdom 
of God, but must be dealt with in long-suffering, and at last we shall 
save them. The way to keep all the Saints together, and keep the work 
rolling, is to wait with all long-suffering, till God shall bring such char- 
acters to justice. There should be no license for sin, but mercy should 
go hand in hand with reproof. 

"Sisters of the society, shall there be strife among you? I will not 
have it. You must repent and get the love of God. Away with self- 
righteousness. The best measure or principle to bring the poor to re- 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 83 

pentance is to administer to their wants. The Ladies' Relief Society 
is not only to relieve the poor, but to save souls. 

" President Smith then said that he would give a lot of land to the 
society by deeding to the treasurer, that the society may build houses 
for the poor."— Ibid., pp. 23-25. 

Nor can we doubt that the appeal of the Prophet, here re- 
ported in but fragmentary form, met with the ready and generous 
answer that has been the wont of this worthy organization, 
founded by him, when, as he remarked, " I will now open the 
door for woman." It is claimed that, in the foundation of the 
Woman's Relief Society, as it is now known, was formed the 
first organization of women for benevolent purposes, in known 
history. The Prophet was a pioneer here, as in other matters. 
Strange that it takes a man, so widely and persistently abused as 
a mere " impostor," to be thus a pioneer in good works ! There 
are several vivid contrasts between Calvin's rule at Geneva — 
and Calvin was a sort of " prophet " — and Joseph Smith's rule 
in Nauvoo (the " City Beautiful ") ; and this is one of them. As 
we may have guessed, also, there are yet others. 

However great may have been Smith's " ignorance " ; however 
halting and ungrammatical may have been his speech; however 
" uncouth " and " self-assertive " his manner ; however much his 
conversation may nave abounded in the " puerile and even shock- 
ing" things remarked by Mr. Quincy, the fact remains that he 
sought to realize the happy consummations for humanity that 
others have only dreamed of, and called " Utopian " — i.e., 
" things that happen in Nowhere " — and actually inspired able 
men and earnest women to help him realize his dreams of justice 
and righteousness. On several occasions he repeated the state- 
ment that God intended His Church to be " a kingdom of priests 
and kings," and this simple suggestion inspired many of his 
foremost associates to " take him literally," and really try to 
manifest priestly and kingly traits. There was something heroic 
about this. It strongly reminds one of Tullidge's forceful re- 
marks : 

" A strange religion indeed, that meant something more than faith and 
prayers and creeds. An empire-founding religion, as we have said, — 
this religion of a Latter-day Israel. A religion, in fact, that meant all 
that the name of ' Latter-day Israel' implies. . . . Out of Egypt the seed 
of promise, to become a peculiar people, a holy nation, with a distinctive 
God and a distinctive destiny. Out of modern Babylon, to repeat the 
same Hebraic drama in the latter age. A Mormon Iliad in every view." 
— The Women of Mormondom, p. 68. 

An exhortation worthy to rank — if not in an " Iliad " — in 
some " epic of faith " is found in the " Epistle of the Twelve to 
the Saints in America," issued under date, April 12, 1842. It 
contains the following passages: 



84 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"Brethren, the Temple will be built. There are hundreds and thou- 
sands who stand ready to sacrifice the last farthing they possess on the 
earth rather than have the building of the Lord's house delayed, and 
while this spirit prevails no power beneath the heavens can hinder its 
progress : but we desire you all to help with the ability which God has 
given you; that you may all share the blessings which will distil from 
heaven to earth through this consecrated channel. 

" This is not all. It will be in vain for us to build a place where the 
Son of Man may lay his head, and leave the cries of the widow and the 
fatherless unheard by us, ascending up to the orphan's God and widow's 
Friend. It is in vain, we cry Lord, Lord, and do not the things our Lord 
hath commanded; to visit the widow, the fatherless, the sick, the lame, 
the blind, the destitute, and minister to their necessities; and it is but 
reasonable that such cases should be found among a people who have 
but recently escaped the fury of a relentless mob on the one hand, and 
gathered from the half-starved population of the scattered nations on the 
other. 

" Neither is this all. It is not sufficient that the poor be fed and 
clothed, the sick ministered unto, the Temple built — no, when all this 
is accomplished, there must be a year of Jubilee; there must be a day 
of rejoicing; there must be a time of release to Zion's sons, or our of- 
ferings, our exertions, our hopes, and our prayers will be in vain, and 
God will not accept of the doings of His people. 

" On these days of darkness which overspread our horizon ; when the 
wolf was howling for his prey around the streets of Kirtland; when 
the burglar was committing his midnight and midday depredations in 
Jackson County; when the heartless politician was thrusting his en- 
vious darts in Clay County — and when the savage war whoop, echoed 
and reechoed through Far West, and Zion's noblest sons were chained in 
dungeons, and her defenseless daughters driven by a horde of savages, 
from their once peaceful homes, to seek a shelter in a far distant land — 
many of the brethren stepped forward to their rescue, and not only ex- 
pended all they possessed for the relief of suffering innocence, but gave 
their notes and bonds to 'obtain more means, with which to help those 
who could not escape the overwhelming surge of banishment from all 
that they possessed on earth/ 

"To accomplish this, the President and Bishops loaned money and 
such things as could be obtained, and gave their obligations in good 
faith for the payment of the same; and many of the brethren signed 
with them at different times and in different places, to strengthen their 
hands and help them carry out their designs; fully expecting, that, at 
some future day, they would be enabled to liquidate all such claims, to the 
satisfaction of all parties. 

" Many of these claims have already been settled ; many have been 
given up as cancelled by those who held them, and many yet remain un- 
settled. The Saints have had many difficulties to encounter since they 
arrived at this place. In a new country, destitute of houses, food, cloth- 
ing, and nearly all the necessaries of life, which were rent from them 
by an unfeeling mob — having to encounter disease and difficulties un- 
numbered, it is not surprising that the Church has not been able to liqui- 
date all such claims, or that many individuals should yet remain in- 
volved, from the foregoing circumstances; and while things remain as 
they are, and men remain subject to the temptations of evil as they now 
are, the day of release, and year of jubilee cannot be ; and we write you 
especially at this time, brethren, for the purpose of making a final settle- 



LAWGIVER AND EXECUTIVE 85 

ment of all such claims, of brother against brother ; of brethren against 
the Presidency and Bishops, etc. ; claims which have originated out of the 
difficulties and calamities the Church has had to encounter, and which 
are of long standing, so that when the Temple is completed, there will 
be nothing from this source to produce jars, and discords, strifes and 
animosities, so as to prevent the blessings of heaven descending upon us 
as a people. 

" To accomplish this most desirable object, we call on all the brethren 
who hold such claims, to bring them forward for a final settlement; and 
also those brethren who have individual claims against each other, of long 
standing, and the property of the debtor has been wrested from him by 
violence, or he has been unfortunate, and languished on a bed of sickness 
till his means are exhausted ; and all claims whatsoever between brother 
and brother, where there is no reasonable prospect of a just and equita- 
ble settlement possible, that they also by some means, either by giving up 
their obligations, or destroying them, see that all such old affairs be ad- 
justed, so that it shall not give occasion for difficulties to arise hereafter. 
Yes, brethren, bring all such old accounts, notes, bonds, etc., and make 
a consecration of them to the building of the Temple, and if anything 
can be obtained on them, it will be obtained; and if nothing can be ob- 
tained, when the Temple is completed, we will make a burnt offering of 
them, even a peace offering, which shall bind the brethren together in 
the bonds of eternal peace, and love and union; and joy and salvation 
shall flow forth into your souls, and you shall rejoice and say it is good 
that we have harkened unto counsel, and set our brethren free, for God 
hath blessed us. 

"How can we prosper while the Church, while the Presidency, while 
the Bishops, while those who have sacrificed everything but life, in this 
thing, for our salvation, are thus encumbered? It cannot be. Arise, 
then, brethren, set them free, and set each other free, and we will all be 
free together, we will be free indeed." — History of the Church, Vol. IV., 
PP. 591-593. 

However, as if to emphasize the " other side " of this matter, 
in which there might seem to be a danger that injustice might be 
done, the epistle closes with this paragraph, which effectually 
absolves its authors from all suspicion of " interested motives " 
in the premises: 

" Let nothing in this epistle be so construed as to destroy the validity 
of contracts, or give any one license not to pay his debts. The command- 
ment is to pay every man his dues, and no man can get to heaven who 
justly owes his brother or his neighbor, who has or can get the means 
and will not pay it; it is dishonest, and no dishonest man can enter 
where God is." 

That the Church also discharged and forgave all indebtedness 
to it, on the part of its members is altogether probable, although 
the details of the matter have not been preserved. On the occa- 
sion of another " Jubilee," however, thirty-seven years later, 
when the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Church was 
celebrated in 1880, the Church authorities made the occasion 
memorable by canceling the entire outstanding indebtedness in- 
curred by numerous immigrants to Utah for expenses paid out 
of the Perpetual Immigration Fund. The rule was that the 



86 THE REAL MORMONISM 

prospective emigrant from Europe, or other part, received his 
expenses of transportation, on signing a contract to " reimburse 
the same, in labor or otherwise, as soon as their circumstances 
will admit," making payment in full, " with interest if required." 
"That these obligations were never rigorously pressed — some anti- 
Mormon writers to the contrary notwithstanding — is witnessed by the 
fact that by the year 1880, the unpaid principal of indebtedness to this 
fund amounted in the church to the sum of $704,000; and if interest on 
this outstanding indebtedness (had been charged) during the years it 
could legitimately have drawn interest at the rate of ten per cent. — the 
usual rate in the west previous to 1880 — that interest would have 
amounted to $900,000; making a total of principal and interest of $1,604,- 
000. Yet instead of oppressively seeking to collect this amount, the Fund 
Company in the year 1880 — the year known in our annals as the Year of 
Jubilee, the Church then having been in existence fifty years — one half 
of this principle and interest was cancelled, being applied on the indebt- 
edness of the worthy poor, they being wholly set free from the obliga- 
tion of payment." — B. H. Roberts, History of the Mormon Church, Chap. 
lxxvii. {Americana Magazine, N. Y., Nov., 1912.) 

Such precepts and performances as are noted above certainly 
go very far toward establishing the contention that the Mormon 
Church really represented, on these occasions, at least, a stably- 
organized and fraternal body of people. In these respects it 
embodied a realization of high ideals of social and moral reor- 
ganization of mankind, which should be the rule among intelli- 
gent human beings, instead of the exceptional possession of any 
one set of people whatsoever. Nor can there be a doubt in any 
reflecting mind that, although the principles of human brother- 
hood and mutual helpfulness are a part of the teachings of 
Christ, which the world has known for eighteen hundred years, 
they were brought to practical operation in a society of people 
professing Christianity, solely through the influence of Joseph 
Smith. 



CHAPTER VII 

JOSEPH SMITH AS A STATESMAN AND REFORMER 

On questions of current political importance Smith's opinions 
seem to have been both intelligent and statesmanlike, if we are to 
believe the testimony of contemporaries. He seems to have 
been particularly interested in discussing slavery, a live topic in 
his lifetime, and to have shared the opinion of many of the wisest 
minds that its abolishment was a necessity. His known attitude 
on this subject, and the opinions of many of his converts, who 
came largely from the New England and middle states, is alleged 
by some as the real grounds for much of the violent opposition 
to the Mormon people in Missouri. While this opinion may be 
partially correct as applied to that state, it is less valid as ex- 
planation of the violent doings in Ohio and Illinois. It is not 
wholly improbable that a large part of Mr. Quincy's friendly 
feeling for Smith was due to the latter's anti-slavery opinions. 
Thus, in the book quoted above, Quincy relates of a conversation 
with Smith: 

" We then went on to talk of politics. Smith recognized the curse and 
iniquity of slavery, though he opposed the methods of the Abolitionists. 
His plan was for the nation to pay for the slaves from the sale of the 
public lands. ' Congress/ he said, ' should be compelled to take this 
course, by petitions from all parts of the country; but the petitioners 
must disclaim all alliance with those who would disturb the rights of 
property recognized by the Constitution and foment insurrection.' It 
may be worth while to remark that Smith's plan was publicly advocated, 
eleven years later, by one who has mixed so much practical shrewdness 
with his lofty philosophy. In 1855, when men's minds had been moved 
to their depths on the question of slavery, Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson 
declared that it should be met in accordance 'with the interest of the 
South and with the settled conscience of the North. It is not really a 
great task, a great fight for this country to accomplish, to buy that prop- 
erty of the planter, as the British nation bought the West Indian slaves.' 
He further says that the ' United States will be brought to give every 
inch of their public lands for a purpose like this.' We, who can look 
back upon the terrible cost of the fratricidal war which put an end to 
slavery, now say that such a solution of the difficulty would have been 
worthy a Christian statesman. But if the retired scholar was in ad- 
vance of his time when he advocated this disposition of the public prop- 
erty in 1855, what shall I say of the political and religious leader who 

87 



88 THE REAL MORMONISM 

had committed himself, in print, as well as in conversation, to the same 
course in 1844? If the atmosphere of men's opinions was stirred by 
such a proposition when war-clouds were discernible in the sky, was it 
not a statesmanlike word eleven years earlier, when the heavens looked 
tranquil and beneficent? 

"General Smith proceeded to unfold still further his views upon poli- 
tics. He denounced the Missouri Compromise as an unjustifiable conces- 
sion for the benefit of slavery. It was Henry Clay's bid for the presi- 
dency. Dr. Goforth might have spared himself the trouble of coming to 
Nauvoo to electioneer for a duellist who would fire at John Randolph, 
but was not brave enough to protect the Saints in their rights as Ameri- 
can citizens. Clay had told his people to go to the wilds of Oregon and 
set up a government of their own. Oh, yes, the Saints might go into 
the wilderness and obtain justice of the Indians, which imbecile, time- 
serving politicians would not give them in the land of freedom and equal- 
ity. The Prophet then talked of the details of government. He thought 
that the number of members admitted to the Lower House of the Na- 
tional Legislature should be reduced. A crowd only darkened counsel 
and impeded business. A member to every half million of population 
would be ample. The powers of the President should be increased. _ He 
should have authority to put down rebellion in a state, without waiting 
for the request of any governor; for it might happen that the governor 
himself would be the leader of the rebels. It is needless to remark 
how later events showed the executive weakness that Smith pointed out, 
>— a weakness which cost thousands of valuable lives and millions of 
treasure; but the man mingled Utopian fallacies with his shrewd sug- 
gestions. He talked as from a strong mind utterly unenlightened by the 
teachings of history. Finally, he told us what he would do, were he 
■President of the United States, and went on to mention that he might 
one day so hold the balance between parties as to render his election to 
that office by no means unlikely." — Figures of the Past, pp. 397S99- 

Apropos of Mr. Quincy's outright comparison of the views of 
Joseph Smith with those of so able a thinker as Emerson, it 
seems in place to remark that, with his inevitable mental bias, 
many of the successful performances, already mentioned, might 
have been classed among the " Utopian fallacies," as also the 
apparent over-confidence of himself and his coadjutors, which, 
in any other people, would undoubtedly be attributed to an all- 
sufficient " faith." People who believe that they have a mission 
from God to do any works, great or small, usually exhibit quali- 
ties closely suggestive of " over-confidence." In such a category 
one might reasonably place the famous philanthropist, George 
Muller, who, if reports are correct, actually fed and clothed sev- 
eral hundred orphans in, his asylum on the " answers " given to 
the prayers of childlike faith. As to whether Smith's mind was 
"utterly unenlightened by the teachings of history," we must 
admit, on Quincy's own testimony, that his suggestions, for the 
most part, seem to have partaken of a larger wisdom than the 
" teachings of history " would seem to have imparted to those 
who finally dealt with the question of slavery and its abolish- 
ment. Had Smith's suggestions — or Emerson's, if you prefer 



STATESMAN AND REFORMER 89 

— been actually put into practice, the reader of United States 
history would have been spared the shocking story of the great 
Civil War, the tedious recountal of the wanton spoliation of the 
Southern states by government agents and unofficial scoundrels 
and " carpet-baggers," and the squalid chapter of negro domina- 
tion in Alabama, and other states, as the result of mere bigotry, 
self-righteousness and " reforming paranoia," all of which are 
miserably worse than the largest accusations made against Smith 
and Mormonism. Although chattel slavery may be an unmiti- 
gated evil — and it is not wholly evident that it is abolished, 
even to-day — the planters of the Southern states purchased 
their slaves in " good faith," and, on the whole, cared for them 
far better than many managers of " big enterprises " care for 
their employes at the present time ; and there can be no doubt, 
from the standpoint of strict justice, that they should have been 
reimbursed when their " property " was taken from them. This 
is one of the axiomatic truths recognized only by a mind " ut- 
terly unenlightened by the teachings of history." 

In another matter, also, Smith's views on the slavery problem 
showed a degree of wisdom greatly in advance of the agitators 
of his time. Thus, under date, January 2, 1843, he records: 
" At five went to Mr. Sollars' with Elders Hyde and Richards. Elder 
Hyde inquired the situation of the negro. I replied, they came into 
the world slaves, mentally and physically. Change their situation with 
the whites, and they would be like them. They have souls, and are sub- 
jects of salvation. Go into Cincinnati or any city, and find an edu- 
cated negro, who rides in his carriage, and you will see a man who 
has risen by the powers of his own mind to his exalted state of re- 
spectability. The slaves in Washington are more refined than many 
in high places, and the black boys will take the shine off many of those 
they brush and wait on. 

" Elder Hyde remarked, ' Put them on the level, and they will rise 
above me.' I replied, if I raised you to be my equal, and then at- 
tempted to oppress you, would you not be indignant and try to rise 
above me, as did Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, and many others, 
who said I was a fallen Prophet, and they were capable of leading 
the people, although I never attempted to oppress them, but had 
always been lifting them up? Had I anything to do with the negro, 
I would confine them by strict law to their own species, and put 
them on a national equalization." — History of the Church, Vol. V., pp. 
217-218. 

Smith's utterances on the slavery question were, of course, 
merely expressions of opinion from an intelligent and observant 
citizen, without further significance, as he himself seems to rec- 
ognize. The vicissitudes of his own position as leader of his 
Church and people, and as the constant target of disorderly agi- 
tators, and the subject of numerous attempts at prosecution and 
persecution by an official clique in the State of Missouri, had 



90 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

already forced him into the arena of national politics, in the role 
of petitioner seeking redress for undoubted grievances. He had 
appealed to Congress and to the President to take some measures 
to compel the State of Missouri to reimburse the Mormon people 
for the destruction of their property and the murder of their 
relatives by drunken and unlawful mobs, who had been whipped 
into frenzy by wanton agitators, both " religious " and political, 
but found himself faced by the then popular fetich of " state 
rights," which, as it seems, was understood to constitute a bar to 
interference by the Federal Government, even with the most 
aggravated disorders and insurrections. That this understand- 
ing of the matter no longer holds is evidenced by the frequent 
use, in recent years, of United States troops to put down strike 
disorders, particularly where interstate commerce was threatened, 
also, in merely local disorders, such as mining strikes, and the 
like. That the understanding of the doctrine of " state sover- 
eignty " should extend the privilege to state governors and legis- 
lators to connive at such disorders as occurred in Missouri dur- 
ing a term of several years would not be allowed at the present 
day. Nevertheless, Smith could obtain no redress from the 
Federal Government, and, as it must seem from the point of 
view of the present understanding of the matter, he was justly 
aggrieved. 

The whole story of the Mormon sojourn in both Missouri and 
Illinois is nothing other than a humiliating comment on the kind 
of governmental efficiency that obtained at the midde of the nine- 
teenth century. Nor is it an answer in any sense to catalogue a 
lot of alleged acts of treason, violence, disorder, immorality, 
robbery, etc., against the Mormons themselves. As any reason- 
able and informed person will admit, such acts, even when 
proved beyond dispute, as is not the case here, furnish no war- 
rant by which the people can be justified " in taking the matter 
into their own hands." Even in cases in which atrocious mur- 
derers and ravishers are done to death by mobs of " outraged 
citizens," the public sentiment protests against " lynch law," and 
regrets that justice is not allowed to take its course. Nor could 
there be any other verdict in the matter, unless, as ingeniously 
argued by a certain Southern advocate of this method of " jus- 
tice," " lynching is the divinely-revealed method of dealing with 
capital crime since the Bible specifies, ' the people shall stone 
him with stones. 5 " It is also a sad comment on the righteous- 
ness of partisan politics, so miserably rampant both in this coun- 
try and in England, that any holder of a public office should hesi- 
tate to take measures to put down disorder, merely because, as 
we must say, after reading the history of the times, he was afraid 



STATESMAN AND REFORMER 91 

to jeopardize his own political future by opposing mobbers, 
lynchers and marauders of any variety. As we shall see later, 
Governor Thomas Ford attempted by elaborate and specious 
argument, to " explain " his own conduct in the Mormon dis- 
orders in his state; but succeeds very poorly in justifying his 
failure to " preserve the peace." 

As may be understood from the foregoing, it is with very 
doubtful accuracy or justice, that Smith and his people are 
variously accused, even to the present time, of seeking " sedi- 
tiously " to found governments independent of both state and 
nation. Having been obliged to withdraw from Missouri, and 
later finding that the same kind of wanton agitation, parading 
under the disguise of political and social righteousness, even of 
religion, also, was theatening them in Illinois, the proposed peti- 
tion to Congress, to make the city of Nauvoo, and its environs, 
federal territory, must seem reasonable, even if a " forlorn 
hope." There is at least nothing seditious about it. But the 
matter never came to anything. 

However, as the direct result of failure to obtain justice from 
accredited authorities and tribunals, and to be protected from the 
activities of disorderly mobs, the Prophet, as he states, consented 
to accept nomination for the Presidency of the United States. 
Several ill-informed writers have attempted to allege this act as 
evidence of his derangement, but, in all justice and consistency, 
it must be insisted that his actions and expressions at this time 
evidence nothing of the kind. Thus, under date, January 29, 
1844, he records: 

" At ten, a. m., the Twelve Apostles, together with Brother Hyrum 
and John P. Greene, met at the mayor's office, to take into considera- 
tion the proper course for this people to pursue in relation to the 
coming Presidential election. 

"The candidates for the office of President of the United States 
at present before the people are Martin Van Buren and Henry Clay. 
It is morally impossible for this people, in justice to themselves, to 
vote for the re-election of President Van Buren — a man who crim- 
inally neglected his duties as chief magistrate in the cold and unblush- 
ing manner which he did, when appealed to for aid in the Missouri 
difficulties. His heartless reply burns like a firebrand in the breast 
of every true friend of liberty — ' Your cause is just, but I can do 
nothing for you.' 

" As to Mr. Clay, his sentiments and cool contempt of the people's 
rights are manifested in his reply — ' You had better go to Oregon 
for redress' which would prohibit any true lover of our constitutional 
privileges from supporting him at the ballot-box. 

" It was therefore moved by Willard Richards, and voted unani- 
mously — 

"That we will have an independent electoral ticket, and that Joseph 
Smith be a candidate for the next Presidency; and that we use all 
honorable means in our power to secure his election. 



92 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"I said — 

"If you attempt to accomplish this, you must send every man in 
the city who is able to speak in public throughout the land to elec- 
tioneer and make stump speeches, advocate the 'Mormon' religion, 
purity of elections, and call upon the people to stand by the law and 
put down mobocracy. . . . 

"After the April Conference we will have General Conferences 
all over the nation, and I will attend as many as convenient. Tell 
the people we have had Whig and Democratic Presidents long enough: 
we want a President of the United States. If I ever get into the presi- 
dential chair, I will protect the people in their rights and liberties. . . . 
The Whigs are striving for a king under the garb of Democracy. 
There is oratory enough in the Church to carry me into the presi- 
dential chair the first slide." — History of the Church, Vol. VI., pp. 
187-188. 

One week later, under date, February 8, 1844, he addressed a 
meeting as follows: 

"I would not have suffered my name to have been used by my 
friends on anywise as President of the United States, or candidate 
for that office, if I and my friends could have had the privilege of 
enjoying our religious and civil rights as American citizens, even those 
rights which the Constitution guarantees unto all her citizens alike. 
But this as a people we have been denied from the beginning. Perse- 
cution has rolled upon our heads from time to time, from portions 
of the United States, like peals of thunder, because of our religion; 
and no portion of the Government as yet has stepped forward for 
our relief. And in view of these things, I feel it to be my right and 
privilege to obtain what influence and power I can, lawfully, in the 
United States, for the protection of injured innocence; and if I lose 
my life in a good cause I am willing to be sacrificed on the altar of 
virtue, righteousness and truth, in maintaining the laws and Consti- 
tution of the United States, if need be, for the general good of man- 
kind."— Ibid., pp. 210-21 1. 

In the meantime, Smith had prepared his famous pamphlet, 
entitled " Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of 
the United States," which may be called the " platform," upon 
which he based his candidacy. After reviewing the principles 
and practices of the earlier presidents, and deploring the gradual 
decay and corruption of American ideals, he proceeds to make 
sundry recommendations, which are interesting historically, if, 
indeed, no otherwise. In some particulars his recommendations 
have since been adopted; in some, as already suggested, it is un- 
fortunate that they were not adopted; in others again he was 
evidently ahead of his times, and, as we may regret, still seems 
to be so. He recommends partly, as follows: 

" Reduce Congress at least two-thirds. Two Senators from a State 
and two members to a million of population will do more business than 
the army that now occupy the halls of the national Legislature. Pay 
them two dollars and their board per diem (except Sundays). That 
is more than the farmer gets, and he lives honestly. Curtail the offi- 
cers of Government in pay, number, and power; for the Philistine 



STATESMAN AND REFORMER 93 

lords have shorn our nation of its goodly locks in the lap of De- 
lilah. . . . 

" Advise your legislators, when they make laws for larceny, bur- 
glary, or any felony, to make the penalty applicable to work upon 
roads, public works, or any place where the culprit can be taught more 
wisdom and more virtue, and become more enlightened. Rigor and 
seclusion will never do as much to reform the propensities of men 
as reason and friendship. Murder only can claim confinement _ or 
death. Let the penitentiaries be turned into seminaries of learning, 
where intelligence, like the angels of heaven, would banish such frag- 
ments of barbarism. Imprisonment for debt is a meaner practice than 
the savage tolerates, with all his ferocity. 'Amor vincit omnia/ 

" Petition, also, ye goodly inhabitants of the slave States, your leg- 
islators to abolish slavery by the year 1850, or now, and save the aboli- 
tionist from reproach and ruin, infamy and shame. 

" Pray Congress to pay every man a reasonable price for his slaves 
out of the surplus revenue arising from the sale of public lands, and 
from the deduction of pay from the members of Congress. 

". . . Abolish the practice in the army and navy of trying men by 
court-martial for desertion. If a soldier or marine runs away, send 
him his wages, with this instruction, that his country will never trust 
him again; he has forfeited his honor. 

" Make honor the standard with all men. Be sure that good is ren- 
dered for evil in all cases, and the whole nation, like a kingdom of 
kings and priests, will rise up in righteousness, and be respected as 
wise and worthy on earth, and as just and holy for heaven, by 
Jehovah, the author of perfection. 

" More economy in the National and State governments would make 
less taxes among the people; more equality through the cities, towns, 
and country, would make less distinction among the people; and more 
honesty and familiarity in societies, would make less hypocrisy and 
flattery in all branches of the community; and open, frank, candid 
decorum to all men, in this boasted land of liberty, would beget esteem, 
confidence, union and love; and the neighbor from any State or from 
any country, of whatever color, clime or tongue, could rejoice when 
he put his foot on the^ sacred soil of freedom, and exclaim, The very 
name of 'American' is fraught with friendship. . . . 

"For the accommodation of the people in every State and Terri- 
tory, let Congress show their wisdom by granting a national bank, with 
branches in each State and Territory, where the capital stock shall 
be held by the nation for the mother bank, and by the States and 
Territories for the branches; and whose officers and directors shall 
be elected yearly by the people, with wages at the rate of two dollars 
per day for services; which several banks shall never issue any more 
bills than the amount of capital stock in her vaults and the interest. 

"The net gain of the mother bank shall be applied to the national 
revenue, and that of the branches to the States' and Territories' reve- 
nues. And the bills shall be par throughout the nation, which will 
mercifully cure that fatal disorder known in cities as brokerage, and 
leave the people's money in their own pockets. 

" Give every man his constitutional freedom and the President full 
power to send an army to suppress mobs, and the States authority 
to repeal and impugn that relic of folly which makes it necessary 
for the Governor of a State to make the demand of the President 
for troops, in case of invasion or rebellion. 



94 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"The Governor himself may be a mobber; and instead of being 
punished, as he should be, for murder or treason, he may destroy the 
very lives, rights, and property he should protect. . . . 

" As to the contiguous Territories to the United States, wisdom 
would direct no tangling alliance. Oregon belongs to this Government 
honorably; and when we have the red man's consent, let the Union 
spread from the east to the west sea; and if Texas petitions Con- 
gress to be adopted among the sons of liberty, give her the right 
hand of fellowship, and refuse not the same friendly grip to Canada 
and Mexico. And when the right arm of freemen is stretched out 
in the character of a navy for the protection of rights, commerce, 
and honor, let the iron eyes of power watch from Maine to Mexico, 
and from California to Columbia. . . . 

"The Southern people are hospitable and noble. They will help 
to rid so free a country of every vestige of slavery, whenever they 
are assured of an equivalent for their property. The country will 
be full of money and confidence when a National Bank of twenty 
millions, and a State Bank in every State, with a million or more, 
give a tone to monetary matters, and make a circulating medium as 
valuable in the purses of a whole community, as in the coffers of 
a speculating banker or broker. . . . 

" In the United States the people are the Government, and their 
united voice is the only sovereign that should rule, the only power 
that should be obeyed, and the only gentlemen that should be honored 
at home and abroad, on the land and on the sea. Wherefore, were 
I the President of the United States, by the voice of a virtuous 
people, I would honor the old paths of the venerated fathers of free- 
dom; I would walk in the tracks of the illustrious patriots who car- 
ried the ark of the Government upon their shoulders with an eye 
single to the glory of the people; and when that people petitioned 
to abolish slavery in the slave States, I would use all honorable means 
to have their prayers granted, and give liberty to the captive by pay- 
ing the Southern gentlemen a reasonable equivalent for their property, 
that the whole nation might be free indeed ! 

" When the people petitioned for a National Bank, I would use my 
best endeavors to have their prayers answered, and establish one on 
national principles to save taxes, and make them the controllers of 
its ways and means. And when the people petitioned to possess the 
Territory of Oregon, or any other contiguous Territory, I would 
lend the influence of a Chief Magistrate to grant so reasonable a 
request, that they might extend the mighty efforts and enterprise of 
a free people from the east to the west sea, and make the wilderness 
blossom as the rose. And when a neighboring realm petitioned to join 
the union of the sons of liberty, my voice would be, Come — yea, come, 
Texas ; come, Mexico ; come, Canada ; and come, all the world ; let 
us be brethren, . . . and let there be a universal peace. 

"Abolish the cruel custom of prisons (except certain cases), peni- 
tentiaries, court-martials for desertion; and let reason and friend- 
ship reign over the ruins of ignorance and barbarity; yea, I would, 
as the universal friend of man, open the prisons, open the eyes, open 
the ears, and open the hearts of all people, to behold and enjoy free- 
dom — unadulterated freedom ; and God, who once cleansed the vio- 
lence of the earth with a flood, whose Son laid down His life for the 
salvation of all His Father gave him out of the world, and who has 
promised that He will come and purify the world again with fire in 
the last days, should be supplicated by me for the good of all people." 



STATESMAN AND REFORMER 95 

On reading this manifesto, the conviction occurs strongly that 
it must have been read by Josiah Quincy, or, at the least, that its 
substance must have been imparted to him in conversations by 
Smith; thus furnishing the real ground for his remarks on 
" Utopian fallacies," as previously noted. As the candid reader 
must agree, this document is preeminently the work of an idealist, 
one whose faith in the principles for which he stood — the immi- 
nence of God's providential activities in reorganizing and redeem- 
ing human society, as well as all individual men — is constant, 
consistent and all-sufficient. Thus, he interpolates into a docu- 
ment, which, by all precedents, should be exclusively " political," 
consideration of matters peculiarly religious, theological and 
moral. His is the same order of " idealism " as that which 
wrote into our Declaration of Independence the memorable 
words : 

" We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created 
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalien- 
able Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of 
Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted 
among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. 
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these 
ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute 
new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing 
its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their 
Safety and Happiness." 

Such sentences could be injected into a political document only 
because its authors believed that, in some fashion, these " inal- 
ienable rights " were through them about to be safeguarded to 
all mankind — evidently a good case of " Utopian fallacy." It 
is evident, also, that Smith's protest against governmental cor- 
ruptions is no more Utopian than Jefferson's Declaration, nor 
any more fatuous than the expressions found in Jefferson's letter 
to Thomas Paine, written on the occasion of his own accession 
to the Presidency. 

" You will, in general," he says, " find us returning to sentiments 
worthy of former times. In these it will be your glory to have 
steadily labored, and with as much effect as any man living. That 
you may live long to continue your useful labors, and reap the reward 
in the thankfulness of nations, is my sincere prayer." 

Jefferson, also, as it seems, held high ambitions to make his 
own administration ideally fruitful; and, as for Paine, he was 
an idealist of the most confirmed type. Idealists invariably mani- 
fest supreme faith in their ideals, and ever forget the fatal im- 
pediment to be encountered in the " inertia " of human depravity, 
which has acted hitherto to thwart the noblest designs of the 
greatest minds. Every idealist, also, must seem, like Joseph 
Smith, "to speak as from a strong mind utterly unenlightened 



96 THE REAL MORMONISM 

by the teachings of history." These " teachings," indeed, tend 
to confirm the opinion that between the ideal and the practicable, 
" there is a great gulf fixed " ; although enlightened intelligence 
indicates, with unwavering certainty, that, before a perfect, or 
even an efficient, social order can eventuate — before even the 
most obvious principles of right and justice can be made avail- 
able — the general average of intelligence and good will among 
human beings must be raised, and most of the virtues classed as 
both " ethical " and " moral," must, somehow, be embodied in 
the behavior of the majority. To men like Paine, who believe 
that this sublime consummation awaits only the inculcation and 
acceptance of true and philosophical views of life, and of the 
mutual relations of man with man, or who, like Smith, anticipate 
the speedy appearance of the King of kings " to rule the nations 
with a rod of iron," the ideal seems the more important con- 
sideration, although with both the " practical " is ably calculated. 
Such a document as the above sheds a most important light upon 
the motives and opinions of Joseph Smith. 

However accurate our view of this pamphlet of Smith's may 
be, the fact remains that the saner portion of the public was con- 
tent to accept it as a bona-fide declaration of principles, suppos- 
ing that its " idealism," as we are constrained to call it, was only 
the flowery rhetoric and enthused oratory, so familiar at that day. 
Thus, several newspapers commented on Smith's nomination 
quite as a matter of course, suggesting in no particular that it 
exhibited " presumption," " insanity," or any of the other de- 
fects since " discovered " by unintelligent writers. A Springfield 
newspaper speaks as follows: 

" It appears by the Nauvoo papers that the Mormon Prophet is 
actually a candidate for the presidency. He has sent us his pamphlet, 
containing an extract of his principles, from which it appears that 
he is up to the hub for a United States bank and a protective tariff. 
On these points he is much more explicit than Mr. Clay, who will 
not say that he is for a bank, but talks all the time of restoring a 
national currency. Nor will Mr. Clay say what kind of a tariff 
he is for. He says to the -south that he has not sufficiently examined 
the present tariff, but thinks very likely it should be amended. 

" General Smith possesses no such fastidious delicacy. He comes 
right out in favor of a bank and a tariff, taking the true Whig 
ground, and ought to be regarded as the real Whig candidate for 
President, until Mr. Clay can so far recover from his shuffling and 
dodging as to declare his sentiments like a man. 

" At present we can form no opinion of Clay's principles, ex- 
cept as they are professed by his friends in these parts. 

" Clay himself has adopted the notion which was once entertained 
by an eminent grammarian, who denied that language was intended 
as a means to express one's ideas, but insisted that it was invented 
on purpose to aid us in concealing them." — Illinois Springfield Reg- 
ister, 1844. 



STATESMAN AND REFORMER 97 

Another contemporary newspaper comments with equal favor 
on the candidacy of the Prophet, in the following words : 

"We see from the Nauvoo Neighbor that General Joseph Smith, 
the great Mormon Prophet, has become a candidate for the next 
presidency. We do not know whether he intends to submit his claims 
to the National Convention, or not; but judging from the language of 
his own organ, we conclude that he considers himself a full team 
for all of them. 

" All that we can say on this point is, that if superior talent, genius, 
and intelligence, combined with virtue, integrity, and enlarged views, 
are any guarantee of General Smith's being elected, we think that he 
will be a ' full team of himself/ 

"The Missouri Republican believes that it will be death to Van 
Buren, and all agree that it must be injurious to the Democratic ranks, 
inasmuch as it will throw the Mormon vote out of the field." — Iowa 
Democrat, 1844. 

This latter newspaper also quotes in extenso a letter from a 
person signing himself " A Traveler/' which had formerly been 
published in the Mormon magazine, Times and Seasons, as fol- 
lows: 

"I have been conversant with the great men of the age; and, last 
of all I feel that I have met with the greatest, in the presence of your 
esteemed Prophet, General Joseph Smith. From many reports, I 
had reason to believe him a bigoted religionist, as ignorant of politics 
as the savages; but, to my utter astonishment, on the short acquaint- 
ance, I have found him as familiar in the cabinet of nations as with 
his Bible, and in the knowledge of that book I have not met with his 
equal in Europe or America. Although I should beg leave to differ 
with him in some items of faith, his nobleness of soul will not permit 
him to take offense at me. No, sir; I find him open, frank, and gen- 
erous, — as willing others should enjoy their opinions as to enjoy 
his own. 

"The General appears perfectly at home on every subject, and his 
familiarity with many languages affords him ample means to become 
informed concerning all nations and principles, which with his famil- 
iar and dignified deportment towards all must secure to his interest 
the affections of every intelligent and virtuous man that may chance 
to fall in his way, and I am astonished that so little is known abroad 
concerning him. 

"... I have no reason to doubt but General Smith's integrity is 
equal to any other individual; and I am satisfied he cannot easily be 
made the plant tool of any political party. I take him to be a man 
who stands far aloof from little caucus quibblings and squabblings, 
while nations, governments, and realms are wielded in his hand as 
familiarly as the top and hoop in the hands of their little masters. 

" Free from all bigotry and superstition, he dives into every sub- 
ject, and it seems as though the world was not large enough to satisfy 
his capacious soul, and from his conversation one might suppose him 
as well acquainted with other worlds as this. 

" So far as I can discover, General Smith is the nation's man, and 
the man # who will exalt the nation, if the people will give him the 
opportunity; and all parties will find a friend in him so far as right 
is concerned. 

"General Smith's movements are perfectly anomalous in the esti- 



98 THE REAL MORMONISM 

mation of the public. All other men have been considered wise in 
drawing around them wise men; but I have frequently heard the 
General called a fool because he has gathered the wisest of men to 
his cabinet, who direct his movements j but this subject is too ridicu- 
lous to dwell upon. Suffice it to say, so far as I have seen, he has 
wise men at his side — superlatively wise, and more capable of man- 
aging the affairs of a State than most men now engaged therein, 
which I consider much to his credit, though I would by no means speak 
diminutively of my old friend. 

"From my brief acquaintance, I consider General Smith (independ- 
ent of his religious views, in which by-the-by, I have discovered neither 
vanity nor folly), the sine qua non of the age to our nation's pros- 
perity. He has learned the all-imporfant lesson 'to profit by the ex- 
perience of those who have gone before'; so that, in short. General 
Smith begins where other men leave off. I am aware this will appear 
a bold assertion to some; but I would say to such, call, and form your 
acquaintance, as I have done; then judge." 

In default of information as to the identity of this " Traveler," 
it is impossible, of course, to refute the probable accusation that 
his statements must have been inspired by some pro-Smith 
agency. It is interesting to consider, however, that he describes 
precisely the kind of man who would seem most capable of found- 
ing such a movement as Mormonism, which, as we shall see 
later, has operated wonderfully for the benefit, both temporal 
and moral, of the people adhering to its principles; such a man, 
also, as would likely express such sentiments as appear in the 
above-quoted pamphlet ; and who, in all probability, would be the 
object of nearly prostrate devotion, on the one hand, and of an 
altogether exceptional hatred and detestation, on the other. All 
of these elements are found in the history of Joseph Smith, and 
best explain his doings, on the theory that both Quincy and " A 
Traveler," who saw him in his later days, have furnished a 
truer picture of his personality and habits than those " second- 
hand authorities " and vengeful apostates, who confidently ac- 
cuse him of being " an infamous and villainous deceiver and 
scoundrel," or else hold that " he was, at times, actually de- 
mented." 



CHAPTER VIII 

JOSEPH SMITH IN HIS PERSONAL ASSOCIATIONS 

> In completing our study of Smith's character and influence, 
we are compelled to notice another phase of his personality that 
seems to have had but scant attention from any of the various 
writers who have attempted to estimate him. This is his ap- 
parently unfailing ability to make enemies. It might be possible 
to assert with confidence that this quality indicated an " un- 
fathomable depth of turpitude," which was bound to revolt many 
of his associates, and cause them to apostatize, were it not for 
the fact that a large and representative percentage of these peo- 
ple, bitter and implacable enemies all, have been of a character 
not so far removed from the commission of the very iniquities 
charged against them by Smith and the Church authorities, as 
to be " revolted at " the things alleged by themselves in turn. 
Among such may be mentioned the notorious John C. Bennett, 
who was transformed from the agent who secured the passage of 
the Nauvoo charters — he was also the first mayor of the city — 
into one of the bitterest enemies that Smith and Mormonism ever 
had ; but, as noted in a previous quotation, even Governor Ford, 
who was no advocate of Smith's, testifies to the rascality of Ben- 
nett. Similarly, Philastus Hurlburt, the father of the Spaulding 
hypothesis, who added to his other vices his false pretensions as 
a qualified physician — a mere " quack," in short — seems an 
incompetent witness against the promulgators of false assump- 
tions, unless we admit, in the words of a certain noted journalist, 
that " he was such a sham himself that he was well qualified to 
detect sham in others," on the classic principle of " setting a thief 
to catch a thief." Some of the charges made by other apostates 
are so utterly vile as to seem their own best refutation, since, if 
true, they are of such a character as to revolt any one possessed 
of a spark of decency. It is surprising, on the hypothesis that 
they are true, that persons claiming ordinary decency of char- 
acter should connive at them for so long a time, as must have 
been the case, if we accept their testimony that such things are 
well known. On the other hand, the situation is embarrassed 

99 



ioo THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

by the fact that so goodly a proportion of clean, able and ex- 
cellent people have never apostatized from their connection with 
this Church and its founder, although in positions to know of all 
the " abominations " alleged by others, if such be assumed to 
exist at all. 

Where superlative wickedness, secretly practiced, is alleged 
against any man, or against any set of people, it is difficult, of 
course, to deny its existence with any degree of confidence. It 
is fair in such cases, however, to consider the character of those 
who make the accusations, and their reputations for veracity, in 
order to form a judgment for or against the probability of the 
conditions alleged by them. Thus only can we discriminate 
wanton and wicked slander from anything worthy to rank as 
credible. 

In the case of Joseph Smith, as may be safely asserted on any 
hypothesis regarding him, a greater part of the antagonism dis- 
played by apostates, as well as by outsiders, was undoubtedly 
personal in character. Like all men capable of accomplishing 
large results, he was evidently a person of strong will and great 
determination — people of other varieties are incapable of the 
greatest influence in the world. Such people must frequently 
demand implicit obedience from their associates and assistants, 
and are liable, under frequently-recurring conditions, to excite 
bitter antagonism in the minds of even their closest associates, 
even in those whose fortunes they have made, in a literal sense. 
Thus, apart from the resentment at the vigorous denunciations of 
their own alleged wrong doings, on the part of Smith and the 
Church authorities, may be explained much of the bitterness 
manifested by Oliver Cowdery, Wilson Law, John C. Bennett, 
and other former advisers and confidants of Smith. He seems 
to have described the situation accurately in a quotation formerly 
given, saying: 

" If I raised you to be my equal, and then attempted to oppress 
you, would you not be indignant and try to rise above me, as did 
Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, and many others, who said I was a 
fallen prophet, . . . although I never attempted to oppress them, but 
had always been lifting them up ? " 

No one acquainted with the states of mind, and the variety of 
expressions, likely to be found in a strong minded person, who 
believes that he has been grievously oppressed by some associate 
of his, can derive a vivid conception of the relations of Smith 
and several of his dissatisfied coadjutors. Nor, in making such 
a comparison, need we be actuated by any motive favorable to 
Smith or his claims: we need desire merely to derive an intelli- 
gent conception of the personality and influence of this man, 
about whom so much of an unfavorable character has been al- 



PERSONAL ASSOCIATIONS 101 

leged, and whose real significance to history is still a puzzle. 
While with the " Traveler," as above quoted, we may reasonably 
be " astonished that so little is known abroad concerning him," 
the temptation is strong to attempt explaining him as a man 
possessed of ordinary good character and actuated, in the main, 
by reasonable motives, rather than to believe him so nearly im- 
possibly wicked as many have foolishly sought to represent him 
to have been. We may claim, at least, that the following affi- 
davit of Thomas B. Marsh, once president of the Twelve apos- 
tles, strongly suggests the kind of disaffection and antagonism 
that arises from some exaggerated sense of injustice suffered. 
He states: 

"They have among them a company, considered true Mormons, 
called the Danites, who have taken an oath to support the heads of 
the Church in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong. 
Many, however, of this band are much dissatisfied with this oath, as 
being against moral and religious principles. . . . The Prophet in- 
culcates the notion, and it is believed by every true Mormon, that 
Smith's prophesies are superior to the laws of the land. I have heard 
the Prophet say that he would yet tread down his enemies, and walk 
over their dead bodies; and if he was not let alone, he would be a 
second Mohammed to this generation, and that he would make one 
gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic ocean; that 
like Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was, 'the Alcoran 
or the sword/ So should it be eventually with us ' Joseph Smith or the 
Sword.' These last statements were made during the last summer." 

This document also alleges that there had been formed a " De- 
struction Company," whose duty it was to burn several towns, 
if attacked by the regularly accredited Missouri mobs; thus, of 
course, perpetrating acts of a distinctly " seditious " character. 
These statements were also supplemented by the sworn testimony 
of Orson Hyde, who alleged: 

"The most of the statements in the foregoing disclosure I know to 
be true; the remainder I believe to be true." 

Whatever truth may be contained in any of the allegations 
made by these deponents, who swore at Richmond, Mo., under 
date, October 24, 1838, the conclusion is also inevitable that they 
were actuated by some feelings of excessive bitterness against 
Smith, rather than by any desire to " right wrongs " or to make 
" reparation " of any description. It seems clear, also, that the 
very bitterness of their accusations against Smith was grounded 
in some hope that he might be, in some way, speedily silenced 
through the agency of a " posse of indignant citizens." Such a 
conclusion seems well demonstrated when we consider the con- 
ditions under which the accusations were recorded. Here were 
two men who had occupied prominent positions in a body of 
people, at that time in the midst of serious hardships, involving 



102 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

the constant jeopardy of property and life to numbers of their 
former friends and associates, together with their wives and 
children. Yet, for some consideration, evidently quite other than 
simple " qualms of conscience," they utter an affidavit that, as 
they must have understood, would inflame the disorderly ele- 
ments still further against their former coreligionists, even 
though Smith himself might have been destroyed in the mean- 
time. It is interesting to note that the incident previously quoted 
from George Q. Cannon's book, in which Smith withstood cer- 
tain mobbers dispatched to kill him, occurred at about the same 
period in which Messrs. Marsh and Hyde thus vented their 
spleen, to the evident endangering of hundreds of defenseless 
women and children. It is safe to assert that men who will allow 
their personal grievances, be they real or fancied, to carry them 
to any such brutal length, are capable, also, of lying and perjury. 

Nevertheless, numerous careless and prejudiced writers, ut- 
terly ignorant, apparently, of these conditions, have quoted this 
iniquitous document, for the purpose of achieving some advan- 
tage against the Mormons, either political or sectarian. Not- 
able among these was the late Schuyler Colfax, who, in 1870, in- 
augurated an anti-Mormon movement of his own, and quoted 
copiously from this and similar documents. 

In this affidavit, as it seems, Messrs. Hyde and Marsh were 
the originators of the Danite story, which is so vigorously denied 
in toto by Mormon writers, and has been so persistently repeated 
and exaggerated by their opponents and detractors. We may 
pause here to remark that there may have been a society among 
Mormons,* or anti-Mormons, at this period, which was called or 
known by this name. There is no respectable evidence, however, 
that any order or society so called ever entertained the bloody 
and violent designs attributed to them. If they did so organize 
and act, it must be admitted, in view of the facts of Mormon 
history, that they were an extremely ineffective crowd of people, 
also that, as a " menace " of any description, their significance 
was certainly negligible. The truth of the matter might reason- 
ably be assumed to be that Marsh and Hyde had come to regard 
themselves as Smith's tools, in a sense distasteful to themselves, 
and hence, on refusal to obey orders, under some certain condi- 
tion, they had withdrawn from the Church — the Twelve Apos- 
tles, and the other close associates of the President, are then 
represented under the new title of " Danites," — people sworn 
to "support the heads of the Church . . . right or wrong "; 
and the members of the " band " who are said to be " dissatis- 

* For explanation of the persistent stories of " Danites," or destroying angels, which 
are circulated by opponents of the > Mormon jChurch and system, see Appendix ,J j$t 
the back of the present volume. •»-■---, 



PERSONAL ASSOCIATIONS 103 

fied with this oath," are composed, at the time of speaking, prin- 
cipally of the two deponents. Such, at least, would be the ver- 
dict on many persons, presumably situated as were these gentle- 
men. It was merely one of numerous examples in which Smith's 
enemies attempted to injure him in any available manner. It is 
notable, however, that, within two years, Hyde, who swore thus 
half-heartedly to Marsh's allegations, returned to the Church 
asking forgiveness, forgetful, apparently, of " iniquitous Danite 
oaths " and neo-Islamic boasts. The conditions were not en- 
tirely intolerable to him, at least, nor entirely " against [his] 
moral and religious principles." Marsh also renewed his mem- 
bership in the Church in July, 1857, and, removing to Ogden, 
Utah, died there a few years later, apparently fearless of 
" Danites." The whole affair was concerned solely with per- 
sonal animosity at the start, with a reconciliation at the close. 

Even the brief and cursory study of the character and career 
of Joseph Smith, for which there is space in such a book as the 
present one, must be sufficient to convince the candid reader that 
there is no one word that can justly describe him. In his writ- 
ings he appears as an honest and straightforward man of large 
affairs and considerable responsibilities, who is fully occupied 
in carrying out his chosen mission, although harassed constantly 
by inability to bring his designs to perfection, by the defection 
of trusted friends, and the unflagging assaults of his constantly 
increasing enemies. Viewing his life record from the standpoint 
of the unprejudiced observer, who asks only that he may know 
the real truth of all matters involved, Smith is no less a sur- 
prise. His ability to influence his associates is prodigious, while 
his success in imparting the spirit of his own convictions to other 
minds, so that they remain of vital and peculiar import, even to 
the present day, seventy years after his death, betrays an actual 
inspiration or genius that cannot but excite reverence. The 
number of particulars also, in which he seems to have actually 
grappled and solved the problems of society, rank him as a 
thinker and teacher of importance to the world, who cannot be 
discredited by the slanders and misrepresentations of his almost 
unparalleled enemies. In the interest of simple intelligence, the 
name of Joseph Smith should be rescued from its position as a 
synonym for all that is disreputable, since it is quite certain that 
by unjust and preposterous misrepresentation nearly the most 
interesting American of the nineteenth century has been ob- 
scured to the view of all thinkers and students outside the limit 
of his own disciples. That he is destined to receive justice at 
last is certain, and that late award may involve nothing other 
than according him a high place among thinkers, leaders and re- 



104 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

formers — one also who brings a distinct and well-needed mes- 
sage to the world of human endeavor — if, indeed, his own 
claims to a special mission on earth from a Higher Power be 
not widely accepted, to the advantage, perhaps, of many who are 
now suffering in oppression and ignorance, or staggering into 
the quagmire of infidelity. 






The following stanzas by Orson F. Whitney give a fair example 
of the inspiration derived by his disciples from the record, mem- 
ory and teachings of Joseph Smith. 

"Then was he of the Mighty — one of those 
Descended from the Empire of the Sun, 
Adown the glowing stairway of the stars? 

" I saw in vision such a one descend, 
And garb him in a guise of common clay ; 
His glory veiling from the gaze of all, 
Who wist not that a great one walked with men; 
Nor knew it then the soul incarnate there, 
Betwixt the temporal and spirit spheres 
So dense forgetfulness doth intervene; 
Yet learned his truth betimes by angel tongues, 
By voice of God, by heavenly whisperings. 

"A living prophet unto dying time, 
Heralding the Dispensation of the End, 
When Christ once more His vineyard comes to prune, 
When potent weak confound the puny strong, 
Threshing the nations by the Spirit's power, 
Rending the kingdoms with a word of flame; 
That here the Father's work may crown the Son's, 
And earth be joined a holy bride to heaven, 
A queen 'mid queens, crowned, throned, and glorified. 

"Wherefore came down this angel of the dawn, 
In strength divine, a stirring role to play 
In time's tense tragedy, whose acts are seven. 
His part to fell the false, replant the true, 
To clear away the wreckage of the past, 
The ashes of its dead and dying creeds, 
And kindle newly on earth's ancient shrine 
The Light that points to Life unerringly; 
Crowning what has been with what now must be; 
A mighty still bespeaking mightier." 

— Elias: an Epic of the Ages, pp. 38-40. 



II 

THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 

" If ye are not equal in earthly things, ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly 
things; for if ye will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must 
prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of 
you." — Doctrine and Covenants. 



CHAPTER IX 

MORMONISM THE EXPONENT OF EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY 

In any permanent and complete scheme for the rescue of 
mankind from the miseries and shortcomings of current social 
conditions, there must be a strong and permanent organization 
on a basis distinctly religious in character. The failure to recog- 
nize this fact has been the primary source of weakness in virtu- 
ally all proposed systems of betterment hitherto promulgated. 
Indeed, it is the greatest element of weakness in Socialism, and 
other radical movements of the present day, that while right- 
eously protesting against the unjust and abominable system, now 
in vogue, they attempt to found a vital sense of the inherent and 
" inalienable rights " of mankind — " life, liberty and the pursuit 
of happiness " — upon a virtual ignoring of the religious instinct, 
which is nearly the strongest instinct and propension in human 
nature. 

When we consider the fact that the persistence of real morality 
depends upon a vital and well-presented religious influence, which 
shall embody the element of a " superrational sanction for con- 
duct," if we may use a term familiar among certain sociological 
thinkers, the validity of the appeal for consideration of an or- 
ganization capable of embodying these desirable qualities is self- 
evident. The earnestness of conviction and consecration of pur- 
pose evidently manifested among adherents of the most futile 
sects among us are good, so far as they go, but experience has 
shown that they are sterile of vital and permanent influence, 
unless coupled with an organism capable of carrying out good in- 
tentions and promulgating and conserving excellent principles. 
This is the reason that Christian influence, with all that has 
been claimed for it in past centuries, has never been able to 
neutralize any of the evils of human society, and that these have 
been mollified solely by the growth of intelligence. But even 
intelligence is not sufficient to reorganize society, and create pros- 
perity and happiness, where have always been poverty and mis- 
ery. The crying need is for a practical coordination of .all in- 

107 



108 THE REAL MORMONISM 

dividual wills into a concerted effort for achieving the ends of 
common good. 

When we consider the fact that Christianity, as stated by 
Christ himself, evidently contemplates the regeneration of soci- 
ety and the establishment of " justice, mercy and truth," quite as 
much and as certainly as the achievement of " salvation " in the 
world to come, we begin to realize that, as the Saviour said, re- 
ligious teachers are to be known " by their fruits." The Roman 
Church has always emphasized the blessings to be earned in the 
next world by suffering in this. If we admit that this is the 
real aim of Christianity, as it is with Buddhism, whose influence 
has probably been very great on the development of historic 
theologies, through the imported tendencies embodied in Mani- 
cheanism, and other old-time " heresies," we must admit that 
the Catholic Church has the only organization on earth capable 
of saving mankind from the " world, the flesh and the devil." 
The organization of its priesthood and of the numerous orders 
of " religious," is an admirable system for " overcoming the 
world " by " scourging the flesh for the spirit's good." Indeed, 
in this aspect, and in the states of mind that sympathize with 
this theory of the aim and functions of religion, it makes an 
appeal to the imagination in the same fashion as the heathen 
Buddhism, when glorified by the poet's skill. 

The trouble, however, with Catholicism, or, indeed, any sys- 
tem holding self-immolation as its supreme ideal, and advocating 
the suppression of the " carnal self " as the highest duty of re- 
ligion, is that its message to the world at large, including, as it 
does, very many people who lack enthusiasm in these directions, 
must necessarily be a compromise, very ineffective in achieving 
an order of righteousness that shall be able to do away with the 
shortcomings and evils of society. Such a system must take the 
world about as it is, and be satisfied with the "allegiance" of 
those classes of people who may not be brought to attempt the 
achievement of its highest ideals of human duty. The result 
was that the Catholic Church divided its membership into two 
classes, clergy and laity — which is to say those devoted to the 
interests of religion and those continuing to live the life of 
humanity in the world. Thus, even the persons who are de- 
voted to the religious life are divided into two classes, the " re- 
ligious," who belong to the " orders " and whose occupation con- 
sists in fulfilling the higher obligations of the faith, and the 
" secular," whose duty it is to administer to the needs of those in 
the world life. The greatest trouble is that the religious life 
has been too greatly separated from the life of the world, with 
the result that much " worldliness," such as vanity, cruelty, 



EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY 109 

selfishness, etc., has been tolerated as inevitable, which should 
have been made clearly and definitely inconsistent with Chris- 
tian profession of any degree. 

The " reformers " of mediaeval Europe, in the professed behalf 
of an improved order of righteousness, produced the systems in- 
cluded under the general term Protestantism. Undoubtedly, the 
aim in most cases was to bring righteousness down to the basis of 
every-day life, producing a statement of the Gospel suited to the 
needs of people in the world, and thus " saving " mankind more 
evidently and effectively than could be possible with a system 
holding an ideal of " overcoming " that was not possible, or not 
acceptable, to all. In spite, however, of the stern ideals of " do- 
mestic asceticism," the puritanism and separatism, introduced 
by some of the foremost of the " reformers " these leaders com- 
mitted the inexcusable blunder of promulgating the noxious doc- 
trine of " salvation by faith " — which to say, assent, — which, 
although a mere corollary of scholastic theology, has always been 
a futile compromise with antinomian tendencies, and has done 
immense harm in rendering practical and social righteousness in- 
operative. Protestantism, quite as surely as Catholicism, con- 
trives to make a very real and very unfortunate compromise 
between the demands of the Gospel and the natural " disabilities " 
of the human soul in the state of worldly existence. 

In the case of the Catholic Church a splendidly conceived or- 
ganization is devoted solely to the end of " overcoming " the 
world, rather than subjecting it to the good of God's people: in 
the case of Protestantism, organization is largely ignored, and 
practical righteousness largely neutralized by theories of the 
most indefensible variety. 

In the meantime, at the end of eighteen centuries of Christian 
domination, we have social and moral " problems " that should 
never have emerged in a world, dominated, in any sense, by in- 
telligence, and our traditional sects have no answers and no solu- 
tions. Indeed, the majority of people who are attempting to 
grapple with these conditions are outside of all sects, often out- 
side of religion in any conscious or professing sense. It is evi- 
dent, therefore, that there is room for some system of religion 
that shall follow Catholicism in an effective organization, and 
shall follow Protestantism in emphasizing the need of salvation 
for the individual living in the natural conditions of life ; which, 
in short, shall gauge the efficiency of religious influence by its 
ability to save mankind in the flesh, socially, as well as individ- 
ually. 

One might be excused for believing that some such ideal existed 
in the mind of the founder of Mormonism. One might also claim 



no THE REAL MORMONISM 

toleration for the opinion that the ultimate effective reorganiza- 
tion of religion and society will be a system so closely like Mor- 
monism that the student of history could be excused for suspect- 
ing some relation between the two. It is certain that the majority 
of the Mormon principles of organization are destined to perma- 
nance and wide acceptation. In one point, however, there can be 
no doubt of the ultimate validity of the Mormon theory of relig- 
ious organization — and in this it is the only valid antithesis of 
Catholicism — and this is in the principle that the priesthood 
should be held by all worthy men of mature years. This theory 
makes religion the immediate concern of every individual, who, 
in the closely compacted society based upon his religion, owes 
his standing and significance solely to his religious activity. On 
such a theory, society cannot fail to achieve some very real 
order of regeneration in the fact that it is, in the words of the 
ancient Apostle, a kingdom of " priests unto God." This theory 
is, in fact, the only one that can be reasonably expected to bring 
religion into immediate relation with the affairs of everyday 
life, enabling it to persist as an affair of daily living, rather than 
an occupation for Sundays and holy days, quite incidental to 
the business of the world of ordinary existence. 

From the point of view of common helpfulness and efficiency, 
also, this arrangement possesses inestimable value to the com- 
munity, as the most convenient means ever devised for keeping 
life in touch with religion and keeping religion in touch with 
life. The difficulty hitherto has been that any such synthesis 
has been impossible in by far the greater majority of cases, par- 
ticularly in Protestant churches, which maintain the absurd tra- 
dition, a fragment of the rejected Catholic institutions, of hav- 
ing separate professional ministers or preachers. These men, 
who are neither priests in the sacerdotalist sense, nor any longer 
" clergy," or dispensers of learning, nor yet practical partici- 
pants in the life of the community, form a class by themselves, 
with their peculiarly biased and defective views of life, and the 
inevitable shortcomings of character always found in them, serv- 
ing no end more effectively than to divorce religious interest and 
effort from the sympathy and participation of the large majority 
of really manly men. With the elimination of the type of per- 
son, which, like the Protestant preacher, has well been described 
as of a " third sex," it is fairly evident that religion is freed from 
one of its most harmful impediments. The followers of George 
Fox, forming the Society of Friends, or Quakers, adhered to 
this excellent first step in abolishing artificial classes, which is one 
of the most aggravated evils of human society, whether ex- 
pressed in the distinction between " clergy " (so called) and laity, 



EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY in 

or between aristocrats and commoners. The Mormons are not, 
therefore, the first body of people to recognize and protest against 
the evils and incumbrances of usual religious and social or- 
ganizations. They deserve credit, however, for contriving in a 
thoroughly practical manner to achieve some degree of real 
equality in human society by first place making all men members 
of the ministerial body, and affording means for their training in 
the practical duties required of those who shall be devoted to 
the life of religion and brotherhood. 

In an additional sense the Mormon Church organization is 
of the utmost significance sociologically. It is the first and only 
entirely practical mechanism yet devised for reorganizing society 
on the basis of that equality and brotherhood, which have been 
the dreams of sociologists, moralists and the saner class of re- 
ligious thinkers for over a century. That the attainment of these 
ends was the deliberate aim of the founder of Mormonism there 
can be no doubt. That their perpetuation has been nearly the 
foremost interest of his followers is equally clear. The follow- 
ing is a fair sample of the enthusiasm with which this ideal is 
held among them: 

" One great lesson that has been set before intelligent men and women 
of today is that of corelation of economics. Moreover, to cooperate in 
all matters affecting economic and social life is the demand of the ages ; 
if we have learned anything from the pages of history, it is that there 
should be no classes and masses, no capital and labor in the ideal life, 
no sex divisions in civil and social affairs. It is true that there are 
varying grades of capacity in men, and this will always lead to a division 
or classification. . . . But the statesman who looks toward the altruism 
of the future will teach the strong that their strength is given its high- 
est expression in protecting the weak; and that superiority of intellect 
is a menace to civilization, unless it carries with it the compelling force 
to use all superior advantages for the uplifting of the inferior and ignor- 
ant."-^ Susa Young Gates, (History of the Y. L. M. I. A., p. 2.2.0). 

Nor did the Mormon prophet and his associates confine their 
efforts to achieve the noble ends recommended above to any vain 
preachments, without vital interest to back them, which have 
been only too sadly familiar throughout Christian history. He 
provided the organization for the realization of his ideals, and 
gave precise and unmistakable directions for its practical oper- 
ation. 

" One of the first steps taken by the Prophet, after the establishment of 
headquarters at Kirtland, was the institution of what Latter-day Saints 
call the 'JJnited Order/ a religio-social system, communal in its char- 
acter, designed to abolish poverty, monopoly, and kindred evils, and to 
bring about unity and equality in temporal and spiritual things. It re- 
quired the consecration to the Church, by its members, of all their proper- 
ties, and the subsequent distribution to those members, by the Church, 
of what were termed ' stewardships.' Each holder of a stewardship — 
which might be the same farm, workshop, store, or factory that this same 



U2 THE REAL MORMONISM 

person had ' consecrated ' — was expected to manage it thereafter in the 
interest of the whole community; all his gains reverting to the common 
fund, from which he would derive a sufficient support for himself and 
those dependent upon him. The Bishops, being the temporal officers of 
the Church, received the consecration of those properties, and also as- 
signed the stewardships. . . . 

" The United Order, the Prophet declared, was the same ancient sys- 
tem that sanctified the City of Enoch ; the same also that the Apostles set 
up at Jerusalem (Acts 4:32-35) ; and that the Nephites instituted upon 
this land, according to the Book of Mormon (IV, Nephi, 1 .-3). The pur- 
pose in view, by the Latter-day Saints, was the building up of Zion, the 
New Jerusalem ; an event to be preceded by the gathering of scattered 
Israel, and preparatory to the second coming of the Saviour and the ad- 
vent of the Millennium. 

" I need not weary the reader with a recital of details as to how the 
Church grew and prospered along the lines laid down by the United Or- 
der, which was established at Kirtland, Ohio, and at Independence, Mis- 
souri, during the year 1831. Suffice it, that under the auspices of this 
beneficent system the Gospel was preached on both hemispheres and the 
gathering of Latter-day Israel begun. Lands were purchased in both the 
States named; and in Jackson County, Missouri, the foundations of the 
City of Zion were laid. A Temple was reared at Kirtland, schools were 
opened, mercantile and publishing houses instituted, and industrial enter- 
prises of various kinds conducted by the Church; the object being to 
build up Zion spiritually and temporally, and prepare for the literal com- 
ing of the King of Kings to reign upon the earth a thousand years. In 
this cause, the Apostles as well as the Bishops performed a variety of la- 
bors, not only preaching the Gospel and administering its sacred ordi- 
nances, but also traveling to collect money and other means for the 
erection of the Kirtland Temple and the purchase of lands in Missouri. 

" The United Order was not perpetuated at that time, and the reason 
was two-fold. Primarily it was due to the innate selfishness of human 
nature, which prevented the Saints, as a whole, from entering into the 
work of ' redeeming Zion ' with sufficient zeal and singleness of purpose. 
But another cause, equally cogent, was the cruel mobbings and drivings 
of our people, by those who did not comprehend their real motives, or 
maliciously made evil out of their pure and philanthropic designs. The 
' Mormon ' colony which settled in Jackson County, Missouri, was vio- 
lently expelled from that part in the autumn of 1833 ; and in 1837-39 the 
main body of the Church was compelled to leave Ohio, and migrated to 
Missouri." — Joseph F. Smith, "The Truth about Mormonism" {Out 
West, Sept., 1905, pp. 244-245.) 

That the United Order, or Order of Enoch, was a real order, 
in the accepted sense of the term, involving a consecration of life 
and effort, as well as of property, and that, also, a religious 
consecration in the best and highest sense, is amply shown by the 
rules of the order, which are still to be seen in Mormon house- 
holds. The following rules governed the life of all members of 
this order: 

RULES FOR MEMBERS OF THE UNITED ORDER. 
" We will not take the name of the Deity in vain, nor speak lightly of 
His character or of sacred things. 

u We will pray with our families morning and evening, and also at- 
tend to secret prayer. 






EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY 113 

" We will observe and keep the Word of Wisdom according to the 
spirit and meaning thereof. 

"We will treat our families with due kindness and affection, and set 
before them an example worthy of imitation. In our families and inter- 
course with all persons, we will refrain from being contentious or quarrel- 
some, and we will cease to speak evil of each other, and will culti- 
vate a spirit of charity towards all. We consider it our duty to 
keep from acting selfishly or from covetous motives, and will seek the 
interest of each other and the salvation of all mankind. 

" We will observe personal cleanliness and preserve ourselves in all 
chastity by refraining from adultery, whoredom and lust. We will also 
discountenance and refrain from all vulgar and obscene language or con- 
duct. 

" We will observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, in accordance with 
the Revelations. 

" That which is committed to our care we will not appropriate to our 
own use. 

" That which we borrow we will return according to promise, and 
that which we find we will not appropriate to our own use, but seek to 
return it to its proper owner. 

"We will, as soon as possible, cancel all individual indebtedness con- 
tracted prior to our uniting with the Order, and, when once fully iden- 
tified with said Order, will contract no debts contrary to the wishes of the 
Board of Directors. 

" We will patronize our brethren who are in the Order. 

" In our apparel and deportment we will not pattern after nor en- 
courage foolish and extravagant fashions, and will cease to import or buy 
from abroad any article which can be reasonably dispensed with, or which 
can be produced by combination of home labor. We will foster and en- 
courage the producing and manufacturing of all articles needful for our 
consumption as fast as our circumstances will permit. 

" We will be simple in our dress and manner of living, using proper 
economy and prudence in the management of all intrusted to our care. 

" We will combine our labor for mutual benefit, sustain without faith, 
prayers, and works those whom we have elected to take the management 
of the different departments of the Order, and be subject to them in 
their official capacity, refraining from a spirit of fault-finding. 

" We will honestly and diligently labor and devote ourselves and all 
we have to the Order and to the building up of the Kingdom of God." 

The authoritative revelations setting forth the principles of 
the United Order contain the following significant passages: 

" And you are to be equal, or in other words, you are to have equal 
claims on the properties, for the benefit of managing the concerns of your 
stewardships, every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch 
as his wants are just; and all this for the benefit of the Church of the 
living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man 
may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the 
Lord's storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church, 
every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with 
an eye single to the glory of God. This order I have appointed to be an 
everlasting order unto you, and unto your successors, inasmuch as ye sin 
not/'— - Doctrine and Covenants, lxxxii. 17-20. 

" Listen to the counsel of him who has ordained you from on high, who 
shall speak in your ears the words of wisdom, that salvation may be unto 
you in that thing which you have presented before me, saith the Lord 



ii 4 THE REAL MORMONISM 

God ; For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand ; 
and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my 
people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the 
poor of my people, both in this place (Hiram, Ohio) and in the land of 
Zion, . . . for a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto 
my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused to the salvation 
of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven, that you may 
be equal in the bands of heavenly things ; yea, and earthly things also, for 
the obtaining of heavenly things; for if ye are not equal in earthly things, 
ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things; for if you will that I 
give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves 
by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you. 

" And now, verily thus saith the Lord, it is expedient that all things be 
done unto my glory, by you who are joined together in this order; . . . 
wherefore a commandment I give unto you, to prepare and organize your- 
selves by a bond or everlasting covenant that cannot be broken. And he 
who breaketh it shall lose his office and standing in the church, and shall 
be delivered over to the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption. 
Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the founda- 
tion, and the ensample which I give unto you, whereby you may accom- 
plish the commandments which are given you, that through my providence, 
notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the 
church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celes- 
tial world. — Ibid., lxxviii. 1-3, 4-8, 11-14. 

" Verily I say unto you, my friends, I give unto you counsel, and a com- 
mandment, concerning all the properties which belong to the order which 
I commanded to be organized and established, to be an united order, and 
an everlasting order for the benefit of my church, and for the salvation 
of men until I come, with promise immutable and unchangeable, that in- 
asmuch as those whom I commanded were faithful they should be blessed 
with a multiplicity of blessings. ... I, the Lord, stretched out the 
heavens, and built the earth as a very handy work, and all things therein 
are mine : and it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things 
are mine ; but it must needs be done in mine own way ; and behold this is 
the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the 
poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low — for the earth is full, 
and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have 
given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves. Therefore, 
if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not 
his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the 
needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment. 
(Here follow specifications of various properties, to which certain persons, 
such as Rigdon, Martin Harris, Frederick G. Williams, Oliver Cowdery, 
and others, are appointed by name as stewards.) . . . And again, a com- 
mandment I give unto you concerning your stewardship which I have 
appointed unto you. Behold, all these properties are mine, or less your 
faith is vain, . . . and if the properties are mine, then ye are stewards, 
otherwise ye are no stewards. But, verily I say unto you, I have ap- 
pointed unto you to be stewards over mine house, even stewards in- 
deed. . . . For the purpose of building up my church and kingdom on 
earth, and to prepare my people for the time when I shall dwell with 
them, which is nigh at hand. And ye shall prepare for yourselves a treas- 
ury, and consecrate it unto my name; and ye shall appoint one among 
you to keep the treasury, and he shall be ordained unto this blessing; 
and there shall be a seal upon the treasury, and all the sacred things shall 
be delivered into the treasury, and no man among you shall call it his 



EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY 115 

own, or any part of it, for it shall belong to you all with one accord ; and 
I give it unto you from this very hour : and now see to it, that ye go to 
and make use of the stewardship which I have appointed unto you. . . . 
And again, there shall be another treasury prepared, and a treasurer ap- 
pointed to keep the treasury, and a seal shall be placed upon it; and 
all moneys that you receive in your stewardships, by improving upon 
the properties which I have appointed unto you, in houses, or in lands, 
or in cattle, . . . shall be cast into the treasury as you receive 
moneys, . . . and let not any man among you say that it is his own, for it 
shall not be called his, nor any part of it; and there shall not any part 
of it be used, or taken out of the treasury, only by the voice and common 
consent of the order. And this shall be the voice and common consent of 
the order ; that any man among you, say unto the treasurer, I have need of 
this to help me in my stewardship; if it be five talents (dollars), or, if it 
be ten talents (dollars), or twenty,- or fifty, or an hundred, the treasurer 
shall give unto him the sum which he requires, to help him in his steward- 
ship, until he be found a transgressor, and it is manifest before the coun- 
cil of the order plainly, that he is an unfaithful and an unwise steward ; 
but so long as he is in full fellowship, and is faithful, and wise in his 
stewardship, this shall be his token unto the treasurer, that the treasurer 
shall not withhold. But in case of transgression, the treasurer shall be 
subject unto the council and voice of the order. ... I give you this priv- 
ilege, this once, and behold, if you proceed to do the things which I have 
laid before you, according to my commandments, all these things are 
mine, and ye are my stewards, and the master will not suffer his house 
to be broken up. Even so. Amen. — Ibid., civ. 1-2, I4~i8, 54~"63> 67, 68, 
70-76, 86. 

The wording of these revelations is significant of the actual 
objects for which the United Order was originally founded; and 
they embody a distinct lesson and example to all theoretical 
sociologists, who are earnestly desirous of achieving the lasting 
good of their fellow-men. The abolition of poverty is not merely 
a benevolent aim, but a high religious duty, since " if ye are not 
equal in earthly things, ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly 
things." Nor can a candid mind fail to discern the fact a high 
and noble ideal of the responsibility and duty of wealth is ac- 
tually presented. Our so-called " benevolence " and voluntary 
" charity " are to be discountenanced as unacceptable to God, just 
as they are ineffective in permanently benefitting humanity: a 
man's duties in this respect are precisely defined — if he " impart 
not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor 
and the needy," his portion shall be that of Dives in Christ's 
parable. The commands of Christ are to be accepted literally. 

The discontinuance of the United Order as a practical reality 
was not an abrogation, nor yet a substitution of a less stringent 
law of consecration. It will, as the Mormons confidently be- 
lieve, be restored again on earth at the coming of Christ and the 
setting-up of Zion, and remain thereafter as an everlasting cove- 
nant. The law of tithing, or consecration of the tenth of the 
increase for the support of the Church and the care of the poor 



116 THE REAL MORMONISM 

is now the accepted practice. The revelation establishing it 

reads as follows : 

" Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their [the people's] surplus 
property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of Zion, 
for the building of mine house, and for the laying of the foundation of 
Zion and for the Priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my 
church; and this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people; and 
after that, those who have thus been tithed, shall pay one-tenth of all 
their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them for 
ever, for my holy Priesthood, saith the Lord. Verily I say unto you, it 
shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall 
be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they 
shall not be found worthy to abide among you. And I say unto you, 
if my people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify 
the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my judgments may be 
kept thereon, that it may be most holy, behold, verily I say unto you, 
it shall not be a land of Zion unto you; and this shall be an ensample 
unto all the Stakes of Zion." — Doctrine and Covenants, cxix. 1-7. 

On the basis of this command, the practice of tithing has 
always been faithfully upheld among the Mormons, and has pro- 
vided the most important source of income for their Church and 
its activities. Of course, the practice has drawn the criticism 
of enemies of the Church, who have indulged their spleen in 
various false representations to the effect that the custom is 
maintained by forced levies, extortion and threats of various 
orders. The disingenuousness of such accusations must be evi- 
dent on honest investigation of the matter; since, whether one 
agrees with the teachings of the Mormon Church, or not, there 
is positively no reason for the assumption that there are not 
very many people who do not heartily and intelligently endorse 
them all. Furthermore, only a moment's reflection is necessary 
to demonstrate the fact that wholesale extortion practiced on a 
body of people, who are in all other matters quite independent 
and highly individualized, is by no means the easy and cheerful 
task that our would-be informants would have to suppose. 

The practice of tithing is an ancient one, having been en- 
joined in the Law of Israel (Lev. xxvii:3o; Num. xviii:2i; 
Deut. xiv:23, 28; Neh. x 137-38 ) ; practiced by the ancient patri- 
archs (Gen. xiv:2o; Heb. vii:5~6; Gen. xxviii:22), and men- 
tioned as an institution in both Old and New Testaments (Prov. 
iii. 9; Mai. iii:8; II Chron. xxxi:5; Amos lv:4; Matt. xxiii:23; 
Luke xviii:i2). On several occasions the practice has been at- 
tempted as a means for raising funds for the support of Chris- 
tian churches, exampled, notably, by the forced levies formerly 
in vogue in Great Britain for the support of the established 
church. Latterly, some of our larger sects, such as the Metho- 
dists, have carefully considered a restoration of the practice, if 
possible, in order to replenish the coffers, none too well filled by 



EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY 117 

offerings, voluntary as to amount as well as to production. The 
fact remains, however, that the Latter-day Saints, alone among 
all bodies professing the Christian heritage, have been able to 
maintain the institution with even approximate success. It is 
scarcely remarkable, although by no means conclusive, that op- 
ponents of this Church should allege oppression and extortion: 
their own experiences and capabilities in this matter have not 
been of the most reassuring description. It is very probable, 
however, that no other body whatever could possibly duplicate 
the Mormon record, since this, like other things achieved by 
this Church, seems to be a real corollary to their splendid and 
vital organization, which, if it does nothing else, begets a strong 
sense of solidarity among its people. 

But the Latter-day Saints obey a broader law of tithing and 
consecration than applies even to the tithing of their material 
increase. As if to demonstrate the superior quality of their 
enthusiasm and devotion at every point, these people dedicate 
their time, labors and talents to the service of their Church, 
very often with no hope or expectation of remuneration, or 
with only meagre returns in any material sense. As already 
noted, none of their officers receive salaries for their services to 
the Church, except in the event that their entire time is devoted 
to the work. The ward bishops are entitled to a small per- 
centage of the tithes and other funds collected by them, and 
very frequently forego even this consideration. Perhaps nearly 
the most conspicuous example of devoted time and services is to 
be found in the missionary work, usually done by the younger 
men of the Church, who pay their own way to their mission 
fields, be they at home or abroad, and depend upon the voluntary 
assistance of friends in the field, or, upon the assistance of their 
families or friends at home. The Church funds pay only their 
return fares homeward. It is, indeed, a strong evidence of the 
vitality of this form of faith that young men from every walk 
of life should thus cheerfully devote several years of their time, 
usually in their growing years, to a work devoid of promise or 
possibility of material returns. While all other Christian 
bodies, with the sole exception of the Roman Catholic, suffer 
from a dearth either of funds or of volunteers for missionary 
work, and are obliged to guarantee the livelihoods of their mis- 
sionaries, both at home and abroad, the spread of the Mormon 
gospel is entirely in the hands of people who go out, literally 
without "purse or scrip." 

Voluntary and unremunerated work, however, is by no means 
confined to the mission field. It is regularly and cheerfully 
given, whenever required, as, for example, in the building of 



n8 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Church edifices. The splendid Temple in Salt Lake City, which 
is one of the most substantial edifices in the entire United States, 
was built largely by the voluntary labor of the Mormon people, 
as were also the three other large temples at St. George, Manti, 
and Logan in Utah, the older temples at Kirtland, Ohio, and 
Nauvoo, Illinois, and all of the ward chapels throughout Mor- 
mondom. Such a record as this shows a degree of enthusiasm, 
also of genuine community sentiment that is rare, if not entirely 
unparalleled. In these days of sociological theorizing, when the 
present order, bad as it is, is menaced by the advocates of senti- 
mental and radical schemes, which have failed wherever at- 
tempted on a practical scale, it is remarkable that the success of 
Mormonism should not be taken as an object lesson on the un- 
escapable necessity of reorganizing society on a basis distinctly 
religious, instead of being met by lies, slanders and deliberate 
misrepresentations from the lips of people professing to be 
teachers of righteousness. If this unworthy and un-Christian 
attitude evidences nothing else, it is certainly competent in estab- 
lishing the truth of the Socialist allegation that religion, as it is 
known among us, cannot be depended on to assist in social better- 
ment to the minutest extent. That the Mormon record argues 
to a contrary conclusion is good evidence that it is of a different 
order and origin from many of the familiar sects among us, 
whether, as it claims, based on direct divine authority, or not. 



CHAPTER X 

MORMONISM AS THE INSTRUMENT OF TEMPORAL SALVATION 

The unchallenged superiority of the Mormon Church as a 
successful exponent of social regeneration, of " worldly salva- 
tion," in fact, of the order evidently contemplated by Christ 
Himself, if His words have the plain meaning, which have been 
so generally and so adroitly ignored by His professed and pre- 
tended followers in all ages, is well exampled in the following 
passage from the experience of John Taylor, third President of 
the Church. When the Mormons had left Nauvoo, Illinois, in 
the early part of 1846, the city fell into the hands of a band of 
Fourierite colonists, under the direction of a certain Etienne 
Cabet, and proceeded, under the most favorable conditions imag- 
inable, to put their Utopian plans into operation. As with all 
similar experiments, this was an utter failure — and for the 
familiar reason that Fourierism, like other forms of Socialism, 
attempts to grow the flower of altruism and unselfishness in the 
soil of misery, and without the help of anything vital in the line 
of a religious influence. While engaged in a mission in Paris, 
France, Elder Taylor met a certain Fourierite journalist named 
Krolokoski, with whom he held a conversation touching the 
merits of their respective " gospels." Thus : 

" Mr. K. — ' Mr. Taylor, do you propose no other plan to ameliorate the 
condition of mankind than that of baptism for the remission of sins? ' 

" Elder T. — ' This is all I propose about the matter.' 

" Mr. K. — ' Well, I wish you every success ; but I am afraid you will 
not succeed.' 

" Elder T. — ' Monsieur Krolokoski, you sent Monsieur Cabet to Nau- 
voo, some time ago. He was considered your leader — the most talented 
man you had. He went to Nauvoo shortly after we had deserted it. 
Houses and lands could be obtained at a mere nominal sum. Rich farms 
were deserted, and thousands of us had left our houses and furniture in 
them, and almost everything calculated to promote the happiness of man 
was there. Never could a person go to a place under more happy cir- 
cumstances. Besides all the advantages of having everything made ready 
to his hand, M. Cabet had a select company of colonists. He and his 
company went to Nauvoo — what is the result? I read in all your re- 
ports from there — published in your own paper here, in Paris, a con- 
tinued cry for help. The cry is money, money ! We want money to help 

119 



120 THE REAL MORMONISM 

us carry out our designs. While your colony in Nauvoo with all the ad- 
vantages of our deserted fields and homes — thatthey had only to move 
into — have been dragging out a miserable existence, the Latter-day 
Saints, though stripped of their all and banished from civilized society 
into the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, to seek their protection among 
savages . . . which Christian civilization denied us — there our people 
have built houses, enclosed lands, cultivated gardens, built school-houses, 
and have organized a government and are prospering in all the blessings 
of civilized life. Not only this, but they have sent thousands and thou- 
sands of dollars over to Europe to assist the suffering poor to go to 
America, where they might find an asylum. 

" The society I represent, M. Krolokoski, comes with the fear of God 
>— the worship of the great Elohim; we offer the simple plan ordained 
of God, viz. repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, and the laying- 
on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. . . . Now, which is the bet- 
ter, our religion, or your philosophy ? ' 

" Mr. K. — ' Well, Mr. Taylor, I can say nothing.' " — Life of John Tay- 
lor {B. H. Roberts), pp. 226-227. 

No more striking contrast exists in literature, and no greater 
antithesis of human experience can be found in history. That 
the comparisons made by Elder Taylor are true to the life is 
evident on careful study of the records of both communities 
mentioned. The Icarian colony (so called) continued at Nau- 
voo, with more or less success, from 1849 until 1857. It began 
then to show the inevitable signs of fatal malady in the spirit of 
anarchism and discontent that nearly invariably affects such ex- 
periments sooner or later. In 1857 the property of the com- 
munity passed into the hands of a receiver, to be administered 
for the benefit of its creditors, and, beginning with this year, the 
colonists gradually removed to another Icarian settlement in 
Adams county, Iowa. Here, also, the community life continued, 
with fair prosperity, until 1878, when there was another division, 
followed by an extended law suit. Finally, in 1895, the com- 
munity life was abandoned by unanimous vote of the surviving 
members, and the property was divided among them. Some 
years before this final catastrophe, M. Cabet (or Cabot) had 
died near St. Louis, Missouri, heartbroken at the evident failure 
of his life work. 

The unhappy conclusion of the Icarian experiment, and the 
downfall of poor Cabet, who had, undoubtedly, held high hopes 
of permanently benefitting his fellow-men, is merely typical of 
the fate that must inevitably overtake any sociological experi- 
ment, that is founded firstplace on mere reaction on the present 
social order, without sufficient planning to neutralize present 
evils by rational substitutes. The mere substitution of an ideal 
of communism is no offset to a regime of individualism, for the 
simple reason that individualism is, in fundamental principle, 
natural, whereas communism can subsist only on a community 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 121 

of interest, as when many people combine for national defense, 
or to save themselves, each one as well as all, from the untoward 
effects of a natural catastrophe. The prime fault with social- 
ism, and all other current schemes of social reorganization, is 
that it has not yet outlived the state of reactionism, which, while 
rebelling against " tyranny," would give the slave his chance in 
the role of tyrant. This tendency has been ably condemned and 
deplored by Herbert Spencer in his essay, " The Coming Slav- 
ery." Speaking of the possible establishment of a socialistic 
state, he says : 

" The final result would be a revival of despotism. A disciplined army 
of civil officials, like an army of military officials, gives supreme power 
to its head — a power which often led to usurpation, as in mediaeval Eu- 
rope and more recently in Japan — nay, has thus so led among our neigh- 
bors, within our own times. The recent confessions of M. de Maupas 
has shown how readily a constitutional head, elected and trusted by the 
whole people, may, with the aid of a few unscrupulous confederates, par- 
alyze the representative body and make himself autocrat. That 
those who rose to power in a socialistic organization would not 
scruple to carry out their aims at all costs, we have good reason for con- 
cluding. When we find that shareholders who, sometimes gaining but 
often losing, have made that railway system by which national prosperity 
has been so greatly increased, are spoken of by the council of the Demo- 
cratic Federation as having ' laid hands ' on the means of communica- 
tion, we may infer that those who directed a socialistic administration 
might interpret with extreme perversity the claims of individuals and 
classes under their control. And when, further, we find members of this 
same council urging that the State should take possession of the rail- 
ways, ' with or without compensation,' we may suspect that the heads of 
the ideal society desired, would be but little deterred by considerations 
of equity from pursuing whatever policy they thought needful ; a policy 
which would always be one identified with their own supremacy. It 
would need but war with an adjacent society, or some internal discontent 
demanding forcible suppression, to at once transform a socialistic ad- 
ministration into a grinding tyranny like that of ancient Peru; under 
which the mass of the people, controlled by grades of officials, and lead- 
ing lives that were inspected out-of-doors and in-doors, labored for the 
support of the organization which regulated them, and were left with but 
a bare subsistence for themselves. And then would be completely re- 
vived, under a different form, that regime of status — that system of 
compulsory cooperation, the decaying tradition of which is represented 
by the old Toryism, and towards which the new Toryism is carrying 
us back." — The Coming Slavery, pp. 17-18. 

While it is probably true that, with human nature as at present 
developed, the results indicated by Mr. Spencer would follow 
sooner or later on the establishment of a Socialist regime, it is 
safe to say that, on the basis of actual experience, Socialism 
would probably fail before the stage of autocracy had been 
reached. The defect may be in human nature, which has never, 
hitherto, been able to subsist on humanitarian enthusiasm alone, 
and this bases our objections to Socialism on the ground that it 



122 THE REAL MORMONISM 

assumes a degree of " goodness " in man, which is not native to 
his character. It does him an injustice by idealizing him, for- 
getting that the defects of society, against which it protests, are 
the outworkings of human nature, quite as much as the usual 
failures of Socialism, when put to the practical test. This cause 
of Socialist failure is well set forth in a recent work, which out- 
lines the history of Socialist experiments made by certain Aus- 
tralian and British enthusiasts in Paraguay. These colonists 
settled at places called by them New Australia and Cosme, and, 
after battling long to live the principles of their creed, finally 
yielded to the "logic of events/' and abandoned them. The 
story goes on to relate that the result of discontinuing the Social- 
ist experiment was the incoming of a previously unrealized pros- 
perity. Although the writer of this book is evidently bitterly 
anti-Socialist, his account seems to be accurate, and his infer- 
ences sound. He concludes his account of the ventures in the 
following words: 

"The stalwarts who remained after the collapse of William Lane's 
wild venture have made a gallant fight back to prosperity, and have dis- 
proved the allegation that it was the nature of the country, rather than 
the evils inseparable from Socialism, which caused the original failure. 
At the present day the prosperity of those who remain in the New Aus- 
tralia colony is steadily increasing, and a number of the Utopians who 
were repatriated have found their way back to Paraguay, to share in the 
great advantages which the settlement offers to Anglo-Saxons with agri- 
cultural experience. ... At the present day, New Australia is neither a 
Utopian Eden nor a 'hell upon earth.' It is an average community of 
sane, sober, hard-working, self-respecting farmers, living at peace with 
one another and taking for their motto : ' What we have we hold ! ' . . . 
Cosme for many years made no such progress. Till 1904 it endeavored 
to keep itself afloat by the publication of its journal of far-fetched ar- 
ticles describing the happiness of its people, which induced other credu- 
lous souls to join them in the expectation of experiencing impossible 
bliss. Cheated by false hopes, these newcomers quickly fell into the 
growing quagmire of discontent and misery. Things became worse 
every year ; the original glamor faded, and men's hearts hardened as they 
had done at New Australia. The feeling of bitterness against those who 
were sick and unable to work, and against widows, and people with large 
families parasitically dependent upon the exertions of the adult able- 
bodied, was the saddest feature of the place. It often happened that a 
man, who was seriously ill, would stagger to his work when he should 
have been lying up, for fear of the boycotting which came to be syste- 
matically practised towards any who failed to do their allotted day's task. 
Rather than work for the benefit of ' all ' any longer, many of the bache- 
lors withdrew to Sapucay, and obtained employment at the engineering 
works of the Paraguay Central Railway. Married men with families of 
young children, remained tied to the spot, hopelessly striving to make 
headway against the dead-weight of debt — for everything was mort- 
gaged — which bore them down. 

" Eventually, as at New Australia, the Government stepped in, 
withdrew the original grant, and divided the Cosme settlement up, 
on the usual colonization terms, each family being allotted so much 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 123 

agricultural and so much grazing land. 'The Cosme Colony has now 
definitely thrown its dreams overboard/ wrote a correspondent to an 
Australian journal. ' For several years before it abandoned the 
original principles, it was an open secret (scarcely even concealed 
by the interested parties) that the few remaining members were held 
together only by the expectation of the final break-up, when the prop- 
erty would be divided, and the fewer that remained the greater individual 
share would accrue to each."' — Stewart Grahame {Where Socialism 
Failed, pp. 225-228.) 

There is little to be gained by enlarging upon the failure of 
experiments in Socialism, or in any other system honestly de- 
vised for the good of mankind and the betterment of social con- 
ditions. Such examples of failure are, however, so many cases 
in point to uphold the contention that there is in such schemes 
" one thing lacking." That this is a deliberate recognition of 
the religious instinct is the conclusion of numerous thinkers, 
great and small, and the real explanation of the fact that the 
advocates of even inefficient religious sects are able to wage 
effective warfare against the most promising schemes of social 
reform. The fact that, as recognized by sociological theorizers, 
the religious instinct has been largely perverted throughout his- 
toric time, and that it is often associated with the grossest orders 
of superstition, is no argument against its ultimate validity, nor 
any sufficient excuse for the theory that it will eventually be 
outgrown, sloughed off, and may for this reason, be ignored as 
an element in schemes intended to achieve the perfection of 
humanity. Such a conclusion is ably set forth in the following 
paragraphs by a popular writer on sociology : 

" Professor Huxley, some time ago, in a severe criticism of the ' Reli- 
gion of Humanity ' advocated by the followers of Comte, asserted, in ac- 
cents which always come naturally to the individual when he looks at the 
drama of human life from his own standpoint, that he would as soon 
worship ' a wilderness of apes ' as the Positivist's rationalized conception 
of humanity. But the comparison with which he concluded, in which he 
referred to the considerable progress made by Mormonism as contrasted 
with Positivism, has its explanation when viewed in the light of the fore- 
going conclusions. Mormonism may be a monstrous form of belief, . . . 
yet it is seen that we cannot deny to it the characteristics of a religion. 
Although, on the other hand, the ' Religion of Humanity ' advocated 
by Comte may be, and is, a most exemplary set of principles, we per- 
ceive it to be without those characteristics. It is not, apparently, a re- 
ligion at all. It is, like other forms of belief which do not provide a 
super-rational sanction for conduct, but which call themselves religions, 
incapable, from the nature of the conditions, of exercising the func- 
tions of a religion in the evolution of society. 

" In the religious beliefs of mankind we have not simply a class of 
phenomena peculiar to the childhood of the race. We have therein 
the characteristic feature of our social evolution. These beliefs con- 
stitute, in short, the natural and inevitable complement of our reason; 
and so far from being threatened with eventual dissolution they are 
apparently destined to continue to grow with the growth and to de- 



I24 THE REAL MORMONISM 



velop with the development of society, while always preserving intact 
and unchangeable the one essential feature they all have in common 
in the ultra- rational sanction they provide for conduct. And lastly, 
as we understand how an ultra-rational sanction for the sacrifice of the 
interests of the individual to those of the social organism has been a 
feature common to all religions we see, also, the conception of sacrifice 
has occupied such a central place in nearly all beliefs, and why the 
tendency of religion has ever been to surround this principle with the 
most impressive and stupendous of sanctions." — Benjamin Kidd {"So- 
cial Evolution" pp. 123-125.) 

This passage expresses the matured judgment of a sociologist 
who recognizes the obvious fact that a really scientific solution 
of the troubles of society must take into consideration all of the 
factors in human nature, the good and evil alike. Nor is a pro- 
posed system properly to be called " scientific " because it deals 
in terms and principles borrowed from the hypothesis of evolu- 
tion, or any other systematization of facts and observations of 
specialists in some branch or other of human knowledge. The 
popular zoological sociology, formulated as it is by people who 
are neither zoologists nor scientists in any sense, attempts to 
make the inner workings of the human being conform to prin- 
ciples presumably derived from an external study of the lower 
animals, of whose actual psychology we have very defective 
data, and then we are surprised that our schemes do not 
work out under life conditions. Most benevolent theorists, 
being devoid of the scientific sense, are mere reactionists, and, 
because of the evils experienced under one extreme of social 
development, assume, inevitably, that the only offset is to be 
found under an order that emphasizes the opposite extreme. 
They fail to discern the fact that evil social conditions are the 
development of human traits, in certain definite environments, 
and that the ideal and normal is not to be found in revising the 
constitution of the social order, but in dealing direct with the 
fountain head of motivation. The difference between the two 
methods is entirely analogous to the difference between attempt- 
ing to cure a disease in the physical body by treating the super- 
ficial symptoms, the skin eruptions, etc., and ignoring the sys- 
temic infection that is the ultimate source of such symptoms, 
and the saner method, which follows the theory that the super- 
ficial symptoms, painful and annoying as they may be, can be 
eradicated only by removing the infection in the blood. 

Nor are we to understand by the theory postulating the su- 
premacy of " religion " — which, in a very real and sufficient 
aspect, may be defined as the sense possessed by the essential 
self of some real and organic relationship with and dependence 
on a source of motive and a standard of thinking, which seems 
to be, and properly should be, ultimate in character — neces- 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 125 

sarily involves wholesale toleration for, or a complacent attitude 
toward any and every form of influence professing to be reli- 
gious, or even Christian. J ne ultimate judgment of " truth," as 
applied to religious systems, must be that of practical efficiency. 
All considerations of " historical authority " and logical accuracy 
are totally irrelevant, by the side of the consideration of prac- 
tical operability. Such a rule enforced, as should be, would 
class very many of our sects and systems among superstitions 
and encumberances. Mormonism, however, is justified in the fact 
that it is evidently an extremely practical form of faith, dealing 
direct with the most fundamental instincts of the human soul, 
and dealing so strongly and vividly as to produce, very nearly, 
a distinct type of mankind, a type almost tribal or national in its 
strongly marked characteristics. It stands almost, if not quite, 
unique in the evident power of transforming and unifying people 
of diverse races to common standards of thought, feeling and 
behavior. In this particular, it is demonstrated a truly vital re- 
ligious influence. It is not alone its splendid organization that 
effects this result, but some very real and organic imperative be- 
hind even its organization. Nor is this, as far as appears, wholly 
the influence of its leaders, able and astute as they may be, nor 
yet the shadow of its founder's colossal personality. There can 
be no doubt that it is validly and genuinely religious in its char- 
acter; since there is positively no influence other than religion 
known to man — not even patriotism — which is capable of such 
results. 

The logical results of the Mormon influence and organization 
are, as would be expected, found in the persistent instinct of 
cooperation and mutual helpfulness, and in the practical brother- 
hood of Mormons. The discontinuance of their first effort, the 
United Order, is clearly traceable, as their own writers claim, to 
the fact that the world and human nature were, and are, not yet 
ready for such a scheme of reorganization, any more than for 
the various schemes of communism and socialism that have been 
tried unsuccessfully by numerous non-religious sociologists. 
That it is an excellent ideal for the future, as discerned by the 
leaders of both movements, is probable. One great difference 
in the experience of the Mormons, as compared with that of 
experimenters in " communism," is that the spirit and impulse 
of the system still persists among the Mormons in a very vivid 
sense, and has not been lost to sight as an ideal for the future. 
The fact is well outlined in the following quotation from a lead- 
ing Mormon writer and historian: 

"The United Order was not permanently established, nor did its 
original workings long continue. Human selfishness within, inhuman 



126 THE REAL MORMONISM 

persecution without, were the twofold cause. . . . The system, therefore, 
went into abeyance, and the work of organizing Stakes of Zion, pre- 
paratory to the founding of Zion proper, has since engrossed the at- 
tention of the Church. But the great event has only been postponed. 
The realization of the ideal is still in prospect. The United Order, 
with all that it implies, will yet be established — must be, for Zion can- 
not be built up without it. 

"Meanwhile the spirit and genius of that Order has remained with 
the Church, and has influenced its people, more or less, in all the moves 
that they have made, in all the enterprises that they have undertaken. 
The spirit of brotherhood, of cooperation, of mutual helpfulness, has 
characterized them in all their proselyting, colonizing, commercial, in- 
dustrial, and educational activities. 

"The Pioneers of Utah and the Immigrants who followed in their 
wake and helped them to found the earliest settlement in the Rocky 
Mountain region, were actuated by such feelings. Those who came first 
into these mountain solitudes, these unoccupied valleys, could have made 
great ' land grabs ' if they had felt so disposed, and enriched themselves 
at the expense of their fellows who came later. But this was not their 
disposition, nor their desire. . . . Under the leadership and counsel of 
men imbued with the genius of the United Order, and who set the 
example themselves, and asked the people to follow it, those early set- 
tlers contented themselves with moderate possessions. The real estate 
was distributed among all the members of the community, each one 
getting a share. Many of those first upon the ground gave to others 
who arrived in after years. There was no monopoly of land or water 
in the Pioneer colony, nor in any of the colonies that sprang from it. 
Small holdings were the rule. It was a maxim in the community that 
a man should own no more land than he could cultivate. . . . 

" The altruistic spirit of the ' Mormon ' community was strikingly 
shown during certain periods following the original occupancy of Salt 
Lake Valley, when drought, frost, and the ravages of crickets and grass- 
hoppers brought scarcity and threatened famine to the struggling peo- 
ple. . . . All were not alike destitute. Some, foreseeing the straitness, 
provided against it, and their bins and barns were full, while others 
were empty. Those who had, gave to those who had not, the full lard- 
ers and storehouses being drawn upon to supply the needy and prevent 
suffering. More than one provident, well-to-do citizen stood as a Joseph 
in Egypt to the hungry multitude. They took no advantage of their 
neighbors. Where they did not give outright, as was often the case, 
they sold at moderate prices their beef and bread-stuffs to those able 
to reimburse them. When flour commanded as high as a dollar a pound, 
these big-souled men, who were generally leading authorities of the 
Church, would not accept more than six cents a pound; nor would 
they sell at all except to those in need, refusing to speculate, or en- 
courage others to speculate, out of the necessities of the poor. This 
splendid philanthropy was due to the spirit of the Gospel, the spirit 
of the United Order, the spirit that will yet redeem Zion and prepare 
a people for that era of brotherhood, righteousness and peace that is 
synonymous with the coming of the Kingdom of God." — Orson F. 
Whitney ("Mormon Activities'' pp. 12-14.) 

After the settlement of the Mormon pioneers in the valleys of 
Utah, there was a well-defined movement to restore the United 
Order, on the part of Brigham Young and other influential 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 127 

spirits. The scheme was abandoned, however, or, rather, not 
perfected; very largely, as we may surmise, because of consid- 
erations of a more or less practical character. Undoubtedly, 
such a plan would have been acceptable to a large number of the 
people, whose resources were none too large, and whose labors 
in redeeming the desert might have been attractively lightened 
by a common fund to draw upon for support. Had President 
Young, and his immediate advisers, been of the venal and un- 
worthy character many informants would have us believe, the 
scheme of a United Order might have appealed strongly as a 
convenient means for securing control of the funds and prop- 
erty of the whole of their people. Thus : 

"Had Brigham Young persevered in his predecessors [Joseph 
Smith's] project, it is almost certain that he would have established 
a gigantic 'company' that would have controlled all the temporal in- 
terests of the territory, and eventually comprised the whole Mormon 
population. It is just possible that he himself foresaw that such success 
would be ruin; that the foundations of the Order would sink under 
such a prodigious superstructure, for he diverted his attention from 
the main to subsidiary schemes. Instead of one central organization 
sending out colonies on all sides of it, he advised the establishment 
of branch communities, which might eventually be gathered together 
under a single headquarters' control. The two projects were the same 
as to results; they differed only as to the means; and the second was 
the more judicious." — Phil Robinson ("Sinners and Saints/' pp. 223). 

Although Mr. Robinson's information and inferences are not 
always entirely reliable, his explanation of the reasons for not 
reestablishing the Order in Utah seems reasonable, in view of 
the actual developments under the administration of President 
Young and his immediate successors. The foremost thought in 
the minds of these, leaders was, apparently, cooperation, as a 
reasonable method of providing employment for many of the 
Saints, and of upbuilding home industries. But the policy con- 
sistently followed by President Young in the development of 
Utah was conspicuous throughout the journeyings of the Mor- 
mon people from Nauvoo to the Rocky Mountains. On several 
occasions temporary settlements were made, and crops planted 
in the spring for the benefit of journeying " Saints," who should 
reach these localities in the summer and autumn. All able- 
bodied men were then called upon to contribute their labor for 
the common good, and did so cheerfully. During this terrible 
journey, also, President Young first enunciated the famous 
" land law of Modern Israel," which demanded that " no man 
is to hold more land than he can cultivate." It was the prin- 
ciple upon which apportionments of land were made on the ar- 
rival in the Salt Lake Valley. The law of cooperation in all 



128 THE REAL MORMONISM 

temporal matters was also set forth in the Epistle issued by the 
Apostles at Winter Quarters (now Florence), Nebraska, Decem- 
ber 23, 1846, in the following striking sentence: 

"It is the duty of the rich saints everywhere, to assist the poor, ac- 
cording to their ability, to gather; and if choose, with a covenant and 
promise that the poor thus helped, shall repay as soon as they are able. 
It is also the duty of the rich, those who have the intelligence and the 
means, to come home forthwith, and establish factories, and all kinds 
of machinery, that will tend to give employment to the poor, and pro- 
duce those articles which are necessary for the comfort, convenience, 
health and happiness of the people ; and no one need to be at a loss con- 
cerning his duty in these matters, if he will walk so humbly before 
God as to keep the small still whisperings of the Holy Ghost within 
continually." 

The excellent principles enunciated in this epistle were ad- 
hered to as closely as possible in the settlement and up-building 
of Utah. Indeed, as reflection will reveal, this must have been 
the case, since, otherwise, it would be difficult to conceive how 
that stable and prosperous colonies could be made up of all sorts 
and conditions of people, from all parts of the civilized world. 
Brigham Young was undoubtedly a great leader, sometimes, per- 
haps, arbitrary and dictatorial, but, on the whole, a person con- 
sistently benevolent and solicitous for the well-being of the 
people in his charge. Moreover, as is evident to the candid his- 
torian, the responsibility largely devolved upon him to carry out 
the excellent principles of the Mormon Gospel for the temporal 
benefit of mankind. That he nobly discharged his mission is 
evident. Indeed, Young's constant activity in all movements for 
the temporal benefit of the people furnished the occasion seized 
by certain malcontents, notably Messrs. Godbe, Harrison, Sten- 
house, Tullidge, and others, to inaugurate a movement in protest 
against his activity in temporal affairs, particularly in the matter 
of founding and conducting large stores and manufacturing en- 
terprises, to the disadvantage, as alleged, of spiritual concerns. 
This " protest " had, as was evidently desired, a truly pious 
flavor, but Brigham Young's policy was doubtless nearer to the 
sort of religious and " spiritual " influence that the world is 
beginning to demand very insistently, and is amply ready to ap- 
preciate. In the words of Joseph F. Smith, as quoted on page 
212, " a religion which has not the power to save people tem- 
porally and make them prosperous and happy here, cannot be 
depended upon to save them spiritually, to exalt them in the life 
to come." This is, in fact, the " law and the prophets " of 
Mormonism ; it is also the alpha and the omega of common sense. 
We can readily understand, in view of the puny humanitarian 
achievements of the last eighteen centuries, and the dreadful 
social order, which we are asked to call " civilized " and " Chris- 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 129 

tian," why Mormonism is regarded as such a " menace " in some 
quarters: although its spread would mean the end of multitudes 
of sociological difficulties, traditional religious sects would suf- 
fer in the comparison. 

" From the first ' home industry ' has been a watchword in Utah, and 
among the first lessons taught to the Mormon people by Brigham 
Young, after their migration to Utah, was to supply as far as possible 
their wants by manufactures from raw materials in the surrounding 
region. It was the plan of Brigham Young to build up an independent 
sovereignty and to make his people as free as possible from^ appeal 
to the outside world. Disposition and need, therefore, early induced 
the manufacture of many articles in Utah, and thus were revealed 
many of the resources of Utah and developed the self-supplying facul- 
ties of the people. Many of the manufactures they then produced in a 
primitive way have since been refined upon and expanded, until the 
quality and quantity of goods manufactured in Utah are by no means in- 
significant."—" Utah: Resources, Population, Industries, etc." (U. P. 
R. R. guide book) p. 78. 

The part played by the Mormon Church in the development of 
Utah must be apparent to any intelligent and unbiased mind in 
considering the history of that region from the beginning. It 
may be safe to assert that no band of pilgrims, of equal size, 
with a different religious history and character, possibly, also, 
with a different leadership, would have attempted, in the first 
half of the nineteenth century, to make a settlement in the val- 
leys of Utah. Not even the understandable, not to say, excus- 
able, desire to escape from the American people, with their 
generous and liberal professions and their curiously intolerant 
behavior, could have explained, in other conditions, the Mormon 
settlement in and subsequent conquest of the wilderness. Unless 
the interest of their leaders in the temporal welfare of the peo- 
ple, in their " temporal salvation," had been more than a verbal 
profession of faith, Utah would have been the scene of their 
dispersal, the point at which the curtain should be rung down on 
the drama of Mormonism. But Brigham Young, full of faith 
in his mission, as leader of these people, and possessed of good 
and well-reasoned plans for transforming the desert into a gar- 
den site, was nothing deterred by the challenges of the scout, 
James Bridger, " I will give you $1,000 for the first ear of corn 
ripened in that valley." Doubtless, in view of the enormous 
difficulties to be overcome, the Mormons would consider that the 
determination to settle in this unpromising region was both pre- 
determined and providential. Many less reasonable calls have 
been made on providence. 

Having brought his people to a place which seemed far from 
promising, not alone to James Bridger, his work was barely 
begun. The people must be led and guided in the work of irri- 



i 3 o THE REAL MORMONISM 

gating the waste, and encouraged and held together until the 
work was well in progress. It is fortunate for the Mormon 
People that Young was not interested solely in " spiritual con- 
cerns," but also in matters temporal and commercial. To him 
and to his faith are to be credited the successful accomplishment 
of this mighty work. 

"When Brigham Young assumed the awful responsibility of moving 
his followers to the desert valleys of the Rocky Mountains, he did it 
upon faith that irrigation, one of the oldest arts of the Old World, 
could be successfully applied to the lands he proposed to settle, and 
before the close of the day of his arrival in Salt Lake Valley, he 
began the building of the first irrigation canal. That his faith was 
not misplaced is manifested by the great areas now covered by canals 
and laterals. The first canal was obliterated in a few years by the 
streets and structures of a city which sprang up because of it; but by 
that time other canals were in operation and irrigation was well estab- 
lished in the western country. What an important factor that first 
canal became in the growth of the West! The system it originated 
has extended in every direction, until now scores of runaway streams 
have been seized and almost every valley from California to Kansas 
is filled with the homes of husbandmen. It is stated with confidence 
that although irrigation has been employed in Spain and elsewhere in 
the Old World for centuries, in no place has it been brought to greater 
perfection than in Utah. ... As long as any of the waters of Utah's 
streams and lakes remained unappropriated, the building of , irrigation 
systems continued in Utah, and many fertile valleys were brought under 
the plow. Under the Mormon system the utmost fairness has always 
prevailed in the distribution of water, and for that reason Utah's 
reclaimed areas are much larger than they might have been had selfish- 
ness prevailed and prior appropriators been disposed to abuse their 
rights. There has been almost an entire absence of water litigation in 
Utah, and never a claim of wanton waste. Many of the systems were 
put in upon the cooperative plan, and the waters have always been dis- 
tributed with great impartiality — farmers only taking water at stated 
times and using no more than the needed amount. In this way the 
waters have been carried over large areas now thickly populated and 
wonderfully productive." — Ibid. p. 60. 

In this quotation, which is amply justified by the facts to be 
drawn from other sources, it is made evident that the influence 
of the Mormon religion and its leaders has been efficient, not 
alone in indicating lines of work to be followed, and assisting in 
them, in any convenient manner, but also in instilling the spirit 
of cooperation and fellowship, a sense of the unity of human 
society realized in practice, not merely held as an ideal for some 
indefinite future, which is sufficiently unusual to excite comment. 

Irrigation, which was started on the arrival of the pioneers in 
Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847, was » m ^ act > tne most important 
consideration in the founding of all the settlements in the arid 
regions of the west. In scores of instances the Church has 
come to the assistance of the settlers in the work of constructing 
dams and canals, and has also purchased great tracts of land in 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 131 

Mexico, New Mexico, Nevada, and Canada, for colonization 
purposes, in order to give the poor an opportunity to obtain cheap 
lands. Among the greater undertakings of this kind by the 
Church may be mentioned the Hurricane irrigation project in 
southern Utah, by which the waters of the Rio Virgen were 
diverted from their natural channel to a tract of rich bench land 
lying to the south, and opposite Saint George, Washington 
County. Another colonization scheme known as the Enter- 
prise colony in southern Utah was backed by Church money. 
Among the settlements specially founded by the assistance of 
the Church may be mentioned those on the San Juan river, in 
southeastern Utah and northwestern New Mexico, where the 
Church extended material aid and made it possible for those 
distant settlements to come into existence and thrive. The set- 
tlements of Lund and Preston, in Nevada, founded a few years 
ago, were also the result of purchases made by the Church, with 
a view to making it possible for members in search of new homes 
to obtain them on terms within their reach. The colonies of 
Diaz, Dublan, Juarez, Pacheco, Chuichupa, Garcia, Oaxaca, and 
Morelos, in Mexico, were all built on lands originally purchased, 
in whole or in part, with Church capital, with a view to provid- 
ing homes for any Church members who might desire to settle 
in the fertile valleys of Mexico. 

The introduction of improved breeds of cattle in some of the 
settlements is another enterprise which has been backed by the 
Church, and by this means the cattle in different localities have 
been generally improved to the great advantage of the settlers. 
As early as 1859 the Church inaugurated the first effort to raise 
cotton in southern Utah, and made stronger efforts in the same 
direction in 186 1 and 1862. 

One of the most important industries of the Far West, the 
production of beet sugar, was made possible, indeed actually 
originated and fostered by the Church authorities, with the de- 
clared purpose of providing a hopeful source of labor and in- 
come for the people of the region. The original experiments, 
conducted under the immediate direction of President Young, 
looked toward the perfection of the sorghum sugar industry in 
Utah, but, after this attempt had proved unsuccessful, the pro- 
duction of beet sugar was undertaken instead, and is now one 
of the largest industries of the mountain region. The starting 
of the beet sugar industry at the time of its first inauguration, 
and under all the conditions then existing, would have been 
utterly impossible, if the Church had not assisted with its means. 

Machinery for the manufacture of sugar from sorghum cane 
was imported from Europe in 1852, and was hauled across the 



132 THE REAL MORMONISM 

plains to Salt Lake City on a train of forty-five wagons, each of 
which was drawn by four yoke of oxen. The first sorghum 
sugar factory was opened in what is now known as the Sugar 
House Ward of Salt Lake City in 1855, and, as a mere matter 
of history, all the vast expense involved was assumed by the 
Church. The buildings erected for sugar manufacture at this 
time were, in 1861, remodeled to serve the purposes of a paper 
manufacturing plant, and at this place paper was manufactured 
for a number of years to supply local demands. This also was 
an enterprise inaugurated by the Church. Later, an extensive 
plant for the manufacture of paper was erected at the mouth of 
Big Cottonwood Canyon, near Salt Lake City, which for many 
years helped to supply the demands for paper in the territory of 
Utah and gave employment to a large number of people. The 
plant was finally destroyed by fire. 

The first beet sugar factory in Utah was built at Lehi, in 1891, 
and there are now seven establishments engaged in this indus- 
try in Utah and Idaho, all under one management. They are 
situated in Lehi, Elsinore, Payson and Garland, in Utah, and 
Idaho Falls, Sugar City and Blackfoot, in Idaho. At the present 
time the sugar industry in Utah and Idaho represents a capital 
of $11,000,000 and employs about 1,500 people in the busy 
season, irrespective of those engaged in raising beets on the 
farms. 

This industry has since grown to large proportions in Utah, 
very largely through the encouragement of the Church authori- 
ties, both by leading in the organization of companies, and by 
the investment of funds, for the assistance of the farmers of the 
territory and state. This action has, of course, been largely mis- 
interpreted and misrepresented by the ever-active enemies of the 
Church, who have ascribed all sorts of evil motives to the act, 
and emphasized the accusation that, because the Mormon 
Church had helped its people in upbuilding an industry conveni- 
ent to them, it was really an active accomplice of the so-called 
Sugar Trust, which is one of the agencies represented to be en- 
gaged in " grinding the faces of the poor." 

The Church authorities have made able efforts also to assist 
in attempts to acclimate the silkworm, and materially contrib- 
uted to establishing the silk industry, which for a time bid fair 
to become one of the permanent industries of Utah. They were 
also active in encouraging such necessary industries as cloth 
and carpet weaving, and other forms of manufacture. Woolen 
mills were erected, partly by Church means, on Canyon Creek 
(Salt Lake Co.), in Provo, Beaver, Washington, Ogden, Brig- 
ham City, and other places, which have given employment to 






TEMPORAL SALVATION 133 

hundreds of people. Under the guidance of Brigham Young 
and Lorenzo Snow, Brigham City, in northern Utah, was turned 
into a centre for home industry. Tanneries were built in con- 
siderable numbers in the early days, and vast quantities of so- 
called Valley Tan leather made. Shoe factories were also 
founded, prominent among which is the Z. C. M. I. Shoe Fac- 
tory, which in 1912 turned out 66,000 pairs of men's, boys' and 
youths' boots and knock about school shoes. This output is 
valued at $170,000 and the wages amount to $36,000. As an- 
other branch of home industry may be mentioned the Z. C. M. 
I. Overalls Factory, which turns out overalls at the rate of 40 
dozen per day, or about 12,500 dozen a year. 

One of the main industries inaugurated under the guidance of 
the Church was the founding of co-operative stores in nearly all 
the settlements of the saints. Thus in 1869 the great Zion's 
Co-operative Mercantile Institution was founded in Salt Lake 
City, and for many years it was known as the parent store, sup- 
plying scores of co-operative stores established in the different 
settlements in the Rocky Mountains. Up to 1868 private par- 
ties had become wealthy by importing goods from the States 
and selling them in Salt Lake City and the other settlements in 
the mountains at fabulous profits. By the establishment of co- 
operative stores, the people were taught the principle of self- 
protection, and that it was far more desirable and profitable to 
trade in their own interests than to fill the coffers of merchants 
who generally look too much to their own interests. Until the 
early eighties money was exceedingly scarce in Utah, and farm 
and mountain products were taken by merchants in exchange for 
their goods, and between man and man also the products of the 
farm and the mountains (in the shape of wood and lumber) were 
the common articles of exchange. 

The Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution was, in fact, 
the pioneer in the movement for the cooperative selling of local 
products, now so largely followed throughout the country. It 
was also the first mercantile establishment in the Far West to 
adopt the department store plan. In 1870 its shoe factory, still 
in operation, was first opened, and in 1878, its factory for the 
manufacture of cotton clothing. It is also the accredited sales 
agent for numerous independent Utah manufacturers of cloth- 
ing, food stuffs, carpets and general articles of domestic use. 
According to authoritative figures, its annual business transac- 
tions have for many years averaged over $3,000,000, and are at 
the present time over $6,000,000. Although not cooperative in 
the sense that its profits are divided with the public, it is a noble 
example of the fact that a large and productive enterprise may 



134 THE REAL MORMONISM 

be built up on the principle of assisting home industries and em- 
ploying home labor. In this sense, it is cooperative as including 
the entire local public in the advantages of its operations. It 
was for the distinct and definite purpose of thus benefitting the 
people and local industries, that Brigham Young founded the in- 
stitution and influenced the needed capital in its behalf. 

In 1849 tne so-called Perpetual Immigrating Fund Company 
was organized for the purpose of helping converts to Mormon- 
ism in Europe and the United States who had not the means to 
come to Utah; and hundreds of thousands of dollars of Church 
money were expended at an early day to bring immigrants across 
the oceans, plains and mountains. From i860 to 1868 wagons 
were annually sent to the Missouri river after the poor. Each 
wagon, as a rule, was hauled by four yoke of cattle, or from 
two to four span of horses or mules. About 50 such teams 
were sent out in i860; upwards of 200 wagons, with four yoke 
of cattle to each, carrying 150,000 lbs. of flour, were sent in 
1 861 ; 262 wagons, 293 men, 2,880 oxen, and 143,315 lbs. of 
flour were forwarded in 1862 ; 284 wagons, 488 men, 3,604 oxen, 
taking 335,969 lbs. of flour, were sent in 1863 ; about 170 wagons 
were sent in 1864; 397 wagons, 10 captains, 456 teamsters, 49 
mounted guards, 89 horses, 134 mules, and 3,042 oxen were sent 
in 1866; besides these, 62 wagons, 50 oxen and 61 mules were 
purchased by the Church in the States that year to assist the 
emigration across the plains. About five hundred teams, partly 
mule teams and partly ox teams, were sent by the Church to the 
terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad up to 1868 to help the 
poor migrating saints to the valleys of Utah. 

In early days, when the settlers of Utah were troubled with 
Indian depredations, the Church came to the front most lib- 
erally with its means to protect them and, in some instances, to 
reimburse them for the losses sustained during the Indian wars. 
This was particularly the case in the so-called Walker Wars in 
1853, the Tintic War in 1856, and the Black Hawk War in 1865- 
1872. 

In 1867 President Brigham Young took a contract to build 
90 miles of grade on the Union Pacific Railroad, in order to give 
employment to the people of Utah whose crops had been de- 
stroyed by grasshoppers. President Young relet the grading to 
smaller contractors who in turn employed thousands of men 
from the different settlements of the saints in the mountains. 
This enabled the people to buy breadstuffs from the States, and 
thus the famine that threatened on account of the devastations of 
the grasshoppers was averted. 

The opening of the transcontinental railroad brought non- 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 135 

Mormon settlers and traders in Jarge numbers, and brought about 
serious conditions of competition with home industries, which, 
as already stated, created the need for local self-protection, and 
led to the founding of the Z. C. M. I. 

There are at the present time 615 cities, towns, villages and 
neighborhoods (or 706 regularly organized wards) in the United 
States, Canada, and Mexico, which have been founded and built 
up principally by the frugality, industry and unison of the Mor- 
mon people, directed by the authorities of the Church. Of 
these settlements 333 are situated in Utah, 166 in Idaho, 31 in 
Arizona, 6 in Colorado, 10 in Nevada, 27 in Wyoming, 7 in 
Oregon, 5 in New Mexico, 22 in Alberta, Canada, and 8 in Old 
Mexico. 

The grand results accomplished by the splendid organization 
of the Latter-day Saints, the actual sense of fellowship that 
exists among them, and the creditable faithfulness of their of- 
ficers, are only too evident for denial or depreciation. That 
they have a significance to the sociologist and moralist, as well 
as to the statesman and religionist, is evident. Even anti-Mor- 
mons are bound to acknowledge these facts. Thus: 

"The Dry Gulch District, of which Roosevelt is the centre, is the 
'Mormon' part of the reservation, and that explains why it has made 
more progress than the rest of the country. The wonderful organization 
of the Mormon^ Church enforces a spirit of cooperation unknown in 
Gentile communities. Under these leaders in six years (for settlement 
did not really begin until 1906) the Latter-day Saints have constructed 
223 miles of irrigating canals and lateral ditches at a cost of $300,000. 
Possibly the Gentile settlers secured better lands than the Mormons, 
but in their most promising sections they were unable to agree as to 
methods, and _ having spent on living expenses most of the money 
they brought into the country with them, are now in a precarious con- 
dition, existing on the hope that some day they will get water on their 
lands. 

"In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 90 per cent, 
of the men are officers. The presidents and bishops are the leading 
business men. They are able to back up their business judgment as to 
the course to be taken with the influence they have as heads of the 
Church. They are well known to the higher authorities in Salt Lake, 
who are also both religious and financial leaders, and are so able to bor- 
row from the bank on fair terms the needed capital." — Bishop F. S. 
Spalding (" Spirit of Missions?' December, 1912.) 

The inestimable value of cooperation is well exampled in such 
a passage as this. It is the kind of thing that has been advo- 
cated by the wisest and best of mankind in both ancient and 
modern times, but never realized, even with the best-intentioned 
and most cleverly contrived schemes of social reformation. It 
is the order that must prevail eventually, if, indeed, the human 
race is to continue its progress to rational civilization. But this 
dream of the wise and the good has been made a reality only by 



136 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the hated Mormons. In spite of all this, we are still told, in the 
words of Christ, "by their fruits ye shall know them." Further 
details of the Mormon plan are brought out in the following 
from another non-Mormon writer: 

"The bond of religion is greater than all others, for it is the bond 
of love, and the Mormon people have proven that whatever difficulties 
may arise among them or between them, {here is something higher 
and better than mere will power, that will adjust the trouble and adjust 
it amicably. Perhaps few peoples in all the earth have so typified 
that . . . allegory which teaches that ' the more the wolves of adversity 
howl, the closer will the sheep get together in the fold/ 

" The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not aggres- 
sively seeking out promising regions where irrigation and arid farm- 
ing may be exploited, and thus make new communities possible here and 
there throughout the country, but it is holding a much more paternal 
attitude toward those of its followers who have gone forth to subdue 
the desert; and it is always ready to lend an assisting hand wherever 
expedient, to prevent the disintegration of an established community, 
or to assist in the upbuilding, or exploiting, of a new one that seems 
to be in need of help. Especially is this the case where, through some 
unfortunate circumstance, the people are about to lose heavily, and 
thus be sorely crippled in their work. 

"The Mormon people have always assumed the honest attitude that 
'all we want is a chance to help ourselves/ and the Church has al- 
ways assumed the attitude that 'our temporal interest in our people 
is to help them to help themselves/ Even where outside help must 
be taken into a region to build the irrigation system, capital is usually 
very glad to step in, for it has learned that the Mormon farmer is a 
good investment. The Church steps in only where some special work 
is desired, or where it does so for the sole purpose of assisting those 
who are in trouble; whose canal companies are about to go into bank- 
ruptcy, or whose dams are broken, or whose fields have been inundated, 
or whose crops have failed, or who are rendered helpless by any dire 
circumstances. These the Church helps with no expectation of an 
equitable monetary return. 

" The colonization work during the past few years has perhaps 
been most important and most extensive in eastern Wasatch county, 
in the ecclesiastical district known as the Duchesne Stake of Zion. . . . 
President Smart, who was transferred from the Heber (Wasatch) 
Stake at the opening of the reservation six years ago, has spent most 
of his time on questions of colonisation, encouraging the settlers, as- 
sisting in the promotion of the many canal systems, and in locating 
the various townsites, postoffices and business corporations and com- 
panies. . . . The Mormon people have been the organizers and main- 
stays^ of most of the canal systems, holding most of the important 
positions in them. Nearly all these companies are incorporated, and 
they have been, or are being, constructed under the Mormon coopera- 
tion plan, by which the homesteaders build the canal, and when it is 
completed they own it." — J. Cecil Alter {"Latter-day Colonizing by 
Latter-day Saints" Desert Evening News, Dec. 16, 191 1, p. 94). 

This interesting article then proceeds to example and describe 
several typical instances of Church assistance given to strug- 
gling colonists, all of which typify the consistent policy of the 
authorities of assisting, without beggaring or humiliating its 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 137 

beneficiaries, and keeping always in view that the truest, indeed 
the only real, benevolence is that which " helps people to help 
themselves." Happy the people among whom such a theory of 
benevolence is practicable and operative! It is immeasurably 
ahead of the so-called " scientific " charity, now in vogue in most 
Christian communities and which is, apparently, most useful in 
furnishing excuses for not giving. From another point of view, 
also, the Mormon Church method of assisting, financially or 
otherwise, deals largely with concerns, which, among other peo- 
ple, are not recognized matters for benevolence in any sense. 
If, for example, a community in any part of the country is 
afflicted by a flood, an earthquake, a fire, or any other natural 
calamity, the assistance of the public is readily forthcoming. 
The benevolently minded, as well as those who " give their alms 
to be seen of men," discover a laudable activity. If, however, 
the prosperity of such a community is merely threatened, and 
no more spectacular ill fortune is imminent than mere business 
embarrassment, the so-called Christian public sees here no call 
for benevolent assistance. People in such straits are invariably 
referred to the " business men," who view the situation wholly 
from the point of view of investment possibilities, and, if they 
assist at all, it is only on the basis of owing outright, or lending 
with prospects of ample returns, on good collateral. The 
wealthy charity-monger, who endows colleges and builds libra- 
ries, sees no field in helping people to live, or even in forward- 
ing enterprises not regularly represented by underwritten securi- 
ties. We must credit the Mormons, therefore, with the discov- 
ery, as well as, to date, the virtual monopoly, of a new, a worthy, 
and, as it will soon seem, a highly necessary order of practical 
well-doing. If their method of benevolence could be made to 
appeal to the general public, which vaunts itself possessed of the 
" only true Christianity," there would be far fewer social prob- 
lems among us, also far less socialism, reactionism and discon- 
tent. However, our keen sense of " stewardship," which is a 
term invented to cloak our essential stinginess and real indiffer- 
ence, prevents the spread of any such real charity among us. 
It is quite evident that we need a slight tincture of the sentiment 
of practical humanity. The Mormon method is outlined as fol- 
lows: 

"The greatest percentage of increase in population during the past 
10 years in Utah was shown by San Juan County, the increase being 
132.4 per cent. The Bluff precinct, made up mostly of Mormon set- 
tlers and ranchers, showed an increase in population of nearly 500 
per cent. Some difficulty had been experienced by the Saints here, as 
their dams have given way and, were it not for the fact that their ap- 
peal to the First Presidency was quite substantially answered, part of 



138 THE REAL MORMONISM 

this section might have been abandoned. The Church did not invest 
its money, but simply gave it to them for repairing their canals and 
dams. The Hammond Irrigation Company was substantially assisted 
by the Church, and so was the Red Mesa Company, and the Bluff Ward 
dam. As a prominent Church official puts it : 'It is the Church policy 
to assist all its people, and where dams wash out and ditches get ruined 
by floods, the Church steps in and prevents the wrecking of the com- 
munity ; it sustains its people in the work they have attempted.' " — Ibid. 

We may see from instances such as this that the Mormon 
Church proposes, not only to preach the Gospel, as it believes 
that it has received it, but also to act as the representative of 
God, in a very real and righteous sense. It attempts, honestly 
and consistently, to embody divine providence to struggling 
humanity. Therefore, this Church must be credited with an- 
other excellent revision of the theory and practice of religion: 
it holds that God has appointed it, not only to herald his will to 
mankind, as a real and vital law, but has also established it as a 
medium on earth, whereby the prayer of need and trouble may 
be answered. If the Mormon authorities do not believe that in 
giving money thus to help their struggling people, they are act- 
ing for God, and that God is the real Giver of it all, they are 
merely wasting their funds: these they could readily retain, and 
yet do as much as other bodies professing the Christian name. 
In another point such transactions are significant. They show 
the real disposition of a good part of the monies received for 
tithing and other donations, which so grievously excites the 
anxiety of non-Mormon agitators for " right and justice " 
who are afraid that the Mormons are being " imposed upon." 

The wholly unique character of the cooperation of the Mor- 
mon Church in the life-affairs of its people is acknowledged, by 
force of simple honesty of character, by Episcopal Bishop F. S. 
Spalding in the article previously quoted. In continuing his 
account of colonizing in the Uintah Basin, he says: 

" Practically the system produces this good result : the leading Mor- 
mon officers are compelled to take a more helpful interest in the 
worldly prosperity of their poor brethren than is taken by the wealthy 
and influential members of the other societies which profess and call 
themselves Christians. No doubt their Church influence gives them a 
chance to become rich themselves, but so far, in the Uintah Basin, the 
leaders in this system of ecclesiastical finance seem to have earned 
their reward." 

If, as the Bishop assumes, the authorities are " compelled " 
to take this "more helpful interest," it might seem that the 
compulsion came in the line of trying, in a way, at least, to 
" live up to " a somewhat higher ideal of service than is in- 
stilled into the minds of the " wealthy and influential members 
of the other societies." Living up to ideals is often arduous, 
but the fact that these authorities yield so gracefully and uncom- 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 139 

plainingly to this " compulsion " is certainly creditable. It may 
be, in spite of the Bishop's confident statement, that these au- 
thorities really believe that this " helpful interest " is an essen- 
tial part of their duties. 

Mr. Alter continues his interesting discussion of Mormon 
colonization projects with the following, selected from a number 
mentioned by him: 

"At Teasdale, Wayne county, a large tract of land was slowly but 
surely slipping away from the Mormon settlers there, and the Church 
authorities stepped in and bought the land — the Mansfield ranch — 
and sold it back to the settlers at practically their own terms. This 
move was purely philanthropic on the part of the Church. . . . An 
irrigation project, and a thrifty Mormon community was made possible 
in the fertile Star valley, Wyoming, just north of Afton, by reason of 
the fact that the irrigation bonds were bought by the Church at a 
reasonable figure. An irrigation company at Oneida, Idaho, was em- 
barrassed, and the Church aided it, and made possible the continuance 
of the homes of a great many settlers there by redeeming the irriga- 
tion bonds. The Church bought the receiver's bonds of the Hammond 
canal near Collinston, and thus saved a large community from ruin or 
disintegration." 

In spite of the fact that the Church authorities seem con- 
stantly willing to assist struggling settlers in their efforts to 
keep their homes, whether this assistance comes by " compul- 
sion " or some other motive, it is a real pleasure to find that the 
people do not always seek this help, so long as they can help 
themselves by their own efforts. Whatever may be the motives 
of the leaders, they certainly succeed in fostering and main- 
taining a spirit of cooperation among their followers that is 
worthy all acceptation. If they do, or have done, nothing else 
under the sun, they have inestimably benefitted the world by 
demonstrating that the social problems of the day are not in- 
soluble, and that, in one corner of the world, at least, they have 
been really solved. Our sociological theorists have clearly dis- 
cerned the fact that cooperation is the real solution of the evils 
of society, but Mormonism has shown a way in which coopera- 
tion may be rationally achieved, without vain attempts to revise 
human nature, by laws or " scientific " preachments, or by at- 
tacking and attempting to remodel social institutions. The 
world may yet be thankful that someone " compelled " the Mor- 
mon authorities to follow their chosen course of action in this 
matter. 

In discussing this aspect of the case, Mr. Alter gives the 
following instance, which is only typical of Mormon life and 
methods : 

"The community system of the Mormons in revising the old adage 

about everybody's business being nobody's business, and making it 

'everybody's business is everybody's business,' has saved the town of 



i 4 o THE REAL MORMONISM 

Kanab many thousands of dollars and many hundreds of settlers. The 
irrigation dam went out there recently and the community worked to 
a man in replacing it, without pay, and instead of losing two crops and 
having to abandon their homes, they lost only part of one crop, and 
kept each other so well encouraged that not one deserted." 

The climax of Mr. Alter's discussion is reached in the follow- 
ing, which merely states facts familiar in all Utah : 

" Perhaps the most successful individual colonization proposition 
that has been attempted by the Mormon people in the United States 
is the Hawaiian colony at Iosepa (the Hawaiian pronunciation of 
Joseph) in Tooele county. It is located almost on the border of what 
the older maps show as the great American desert, and yet if ever there 
was a place that is truly typical of the desert blossoming as the rose, 
it is Iosepa — the old hunter's ranch and trader's camp known as the 
John T. Rich ranch, in the desolate barrenness of Skull Valley. 

" There are 1,120 acres practically all in use, and half as much more 
that is being brought under the magic wand of the Hawaiian irrigator. 
However, the history of this place does not give the credit to the 
Hawaiians — it gives them the opportunity, instead. Several years ago, 
a few wholesouled, honest fellows, among them Will G. Farrell, Henry 
P. Richards, W. W. Cluff, and H. H. Cluff, both of whom had done 
missionary work in the Hawaiian Islands, noticed with some regret that 
many Hawaiian converts were being knocked about the towns of 
the state, losing money and often their manhood by being thrown 
into circumstances which they didn't apparently know how to con- 
trol. These returned missionaries had a little money, and knew how 
to get more, and were farmers at heart, so they laid a proposition 
before the First Presidency to colonize the Hawaiians in Skull Valley. 
Needless to say, it was done. Every Hawaiian in the United States 
who had come here to be nearer the Mormon people was given the 
opportunity to go there and move into a house that was built for him, 
and his family, and work on the ranch at good wages, and have, be- 
sides, a large garden patch for his own use. 

" The story of Iosepa is a story in itself. Suffice it to say that to-day 
the several hundred folks there have water in their houses just the 
same as we have in Salt Lake City, and a power plant will sometime 
give them their electric lights. Their schools and meetinghouses are 
as good as the best, . . . and since they grow their own food and raise 
their own animals, they are far better off than many farmers who have 
lived in this country all their lives. The Mormon people conceived 
the plan for them, and the Church made its perfection possible. 

" At a recent annual celebration there by the Hawaiians, when Presi- 
dent Joseph F. Smith, Gov. William Spry, and other men of prominence 
attended, Lorenzo D. Creel, a government Indian official from Wash- 
ington, who was studying the Indians in Tooele county at the time, rose 
before the great Hawaiian, uniformed audience, after having been 
shown all over the place, and, with much feeling, said : 

" 'My friends, if this is a sample of the Mormon colonization work, 
the best thing the government of the United States could do, would 
be to assist them in every way possible.' " 

The facts set forth in the foregoing passages suggest strongly 
that the truth involved in the vast and successful colonizing 
activities of the Latter-day Saints is merely a necessary corol- 
lary to their wonderful and nearly unique solidarity, which im- 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 141 

pels them to form communities and conduct them in accordance 
with their own principles, rather than the result in any sense of 
musterings, under direction of recognized authorities for pur- 
poses political or otherwise. While it is unnecessary to discuss 
the charges to this effect made by stupid and prejudiced writers, 
it is eminently to the point to indicate the fact that colonizing 
by Mormons, and the successful founding of settlements t>y 
them was carried on, long before the suspicion of political sig- 
nificance could have been urged; also that many settlements 
made by them have since grown into thriving cities under other 
auspices. The following outline of Mormon colonizing activi- 
ties was compiled from authoritative historical sources, ex- 
pressly for use in the present volume. 

" Besides building up Independence, Missouri, the Mormon people 
established farming settlements in the neighborhood of the Big Blue, 
immediately southeast of the present location of Kansas City; and in 
the course of a couple of years nearly 1,200 members of the Church 
from New York, Ohio, and other states, had located in Jackson County, 
Missouri. 

" After their expulsion by mobs from their homes in Jackson County 
in 1833 and Clay County in 1836, the Saints migrated into an uninhabited 
.part of upper Missouri, which was subsequently organized into Caldwell 
and Daviess counties. In the first named county the people founded 
Far West, which grew to contain nearly two thousand inhabitants, and 
a number of smaller settlements; in Daviess County, at a place called 
Spring Hill they founded the short-lived city of Adam-ondi-Ahman. 
Altogether about 12,000 Latter-day Saints settled in upper Missouri, 
principally in Caldwell County, during the years 1836, 1837, and 1838; 
and nearly the whole region was transformed from a naked prairie into 
flourishing farms. 

" While these colonization schemes were being carried on in Missouri, 
the Church authorities were busy founding another flourishing settle- 
ment in Geauga County, Ohio ; where they built a little city which grew 
so rapidly from 183 1 to 1838 that at the later date it contained over 
two thousand inhabitants. Here a number of industries were started to 
give employment to the people. Another printing office was established 
and an imposing house of worship, known as the Kirtland Temple, was 
erected. 

"Under pressure of persecution the saints were compelled to leave 
their Ohio possessions in 1838, and those in Missouri in 1839. Under 
the trying circumstances which surrounded the Mormon people at the 
time of their expulsion from Missouri, the spirit of brotherly love and 
mutual helpfulness was manifested in a most practicable way; and in 
the absence of the head of the Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith, who 
at that time was unlawfully incarcerated in Liberty Jail, Brigham 
Young at that time President of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, en- 
tered into a covenant with other leading men of the Church in Missouri 
to extend aid to each other and to the community as a whole until, if 
they found it necessary, they had spent the last farthing they owned in 
assisting their co-religionists out of the State of Missouri. By this 
united effort all of the saints who came under the ban of Governor 
Bogg's exterminating order left the State. 
"After the expulsion of the Mormon people from the State of 



142 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Missouri, the greater part of the Church membership gathered on the 
east bank of the Mississippi River in Hancock County, Illinois, where 
they founded the beautiful City of Nauvoo. When the saints moved 
into that locality in 1839 there were but few settlers in the county, and 
some of these had established themselves in a village called Com- 
merce. The saints bought out the claims of most of these people and 
transformed the unthrifty village into the City of Nauvoo. This was 
in 1840; by 1846 Nauvoo contained about 15,000 inhabitants. By this 
time immigration had brought many members of the Church from most 
of the states of the Union, as also from Great Britain. In the building 
up of a city of the dimensions of Nauvoo, many industrial undertakings 
were of necessity started; among these industries may be mentioned 
the opening of a splendid stone quarry (from which the stone for 
the Nauvoo Temple and other public, as well as for many private build- 
ings in Nauvoo, was quarried) ; the founding of a pottery, carpenter 
and cabinet shops, blacksmith shops, etc., especially may be mentioned 
also a number of flour mills which were built in Illinois and Iowa by 
Fred Kesler, a prominent Mormon, and others. 

" With the expulsion of the Church from Nauvoo in 1846 the saints 
were forced into all experiences incident to pioneer life in the course 
of which they established many settlements in the wilderness. Thus in 
1846 they located what soon became a prosperous town, Garden Grove, 
Decatur County, Iowa ; this stands to-day as a town of importance. 
They founded also Mount Pisgah, in Union County, and Council Bluffs 
(originally called Kainesville by the Mormons), in Pottawattamie 
County, besides a great number of smaller settlements in the county last 
named. In speaking of the exodus from Nauvoo and the founding of 
temporary settlements of Garden Grove and Mount Pisgah, the fact 
may be here emphasized that the leaders of the Church planned these 
two settlements in the spring of 1846 from the labors of the advanced 
companies traveling westward; and with these companies sowed and 
planted several hundred acres of land and then left their fields to be 
harvested by the companies that followed later in the season. Such 
action, prompted by brother love, was continuously manifested by the 
exiled saints toward one another throughout all their experiences in 
the wilderness and long after their location in the valleys of the Rocky 
Mountains. 

" On the west side of the Missouri River in what is now Douglas 
County, Nebraska, the saints founded a temporary settlement in 1846; 
this they called Winter Quarters. This settlement grew until it be- 
came the present city of Florence, situated about six miles northerly 
from Omaha. In these settlements between the years 1846 and 1852 
inclusive, industries of different kinds besides the general occupation of 
farming were introduced among the people by the leaders of the Church ; 
by this means employment was given to thousands. 

"While on this march of exile through Iowa, and locating them- 
selves temporarily on the banks of the Missouri, the Mormons re- 
sponded to a call from the United States government for 500 men, to 
participate in the war with Mexico; and while the famous march to 
California by this battalion of men can not consistently be classed as 
a Mormon industry, yet these 500 men made a march unequaled in the 
history of modern military travel and made a new road a great portion 
of the way between Fort Leavenworth and San Diego, California. 

"Again, while the bulk of the saints were leaving Nauvoo and 
dwelling temporarily in the wilderness, a company of Mormons number- 
ing upwards of 200 souls sailed from New York in the historic ship 



TEMPORAL SALVATION 143 

Brooklyn, doubled Cape Horn and landed July 31, -1846, at the little 
Spanish village, Yerba Buena. Having brought with them all kinds 
of implements, machinery, etc., for the purpose of founding a new 
colony, they soon changed the little insignificant village of Yerba Buena 
to an American town which was called San Francisco and here was 
published the first paper of any importance ever issued in California in 
the English language. It was called the California Star and edited 
by Samuel Brannan, a Mormon Elder. It is not generally known that 
the Mormons to the extent here mentioned practically were the found- 
ers of the great city San Francisco. The saints who came in the 
Brooklyn also located a flourishing settlement on the San Joaquin 
River, near where the town of San Jose now stands. 

"In the meantime the migration of the bulk of the Mormon people 
westward from their temporary locations on the Missouri river, took 
place and the consequence was the founding of Salt Lake City, in 
1847 ; the founding of Ogden in 1848, the founding of Provo and Manti 
in 1849, the founding of Parowan in 1851, and the founding of hun- 
dreds of other settlements during the years following. The founding 
of these early settlements of Utah without money as a means of ex- 
change again suggests true communism in its broadest sense. Labor was 
in the beginning the only medium used to determine value between man 
and man. Afterwards the products of the farm came into use as the 
basis of barter and trade. There was no compulsion in the com- 
munity, thus to labor in unison, but the people of their own free will 
and choice united under a common leadership to construct dams and 
ditches, build school houses and churches, etc., and in this manner 
the foundation was laid for the commonwealth now extending its in- 
fluence and industries throughout the whole length and breadth of 
the intermountain region. As early as 185 1 settlements were also 
founded by the Mormons in Carson Valley, Nevada. In 1853 they 
founded their first settlement in a tract of country now included in 
the State of Wyoming. In 1855 in what subsequently has become 
Lemhi Co., Idaho, they founded the famous Ft. Limhi, on the Salmon 
river, a tributary of the Columbia. This was the beginning of the 
numerous cities and towns founded by the Mormons in the great 
Snake River Valley and other localities in Idaho. 

" In 1875 the Mormons commenced to colonize Arizona by locating 
a settlement in Salt River, and the following year (1876) they located 
four towns on the Little Colorado River. 

"The settlement of San Bernardino, in California, which in a few 
years grew to be a flourishing town and is now a noted city of southern 
California was founded by the Mormons in 185 1. 

" Settlements have also been founded by the saints in New Mexico, 
Texas, Oregon, and Montana. The policy of the Church leaders from 
the beginning has been to make the Latter-day Saints an industrious 
and self-sustaining people. This policy was particularly put to its 
practical test by the late Pres. Brigham Young who ranks as one 
of the greatest pioneers that western America has ever known. His 
watchword was home-industry and he discouraged idleness and pauper- 
ism, in all its phases." — Manuscript Article from the Church Historian. 
In way of correctly representing the situation, encouraging 
as it may appear on any terms, it must be stated that this coloniz- 
ing policy is no mere side issue with the Mormon Church — 
something to which it has been urged by the conditions entailed 
by the task of settling and subduing a desert country — but an 



144 THE REAL MORMONISM 

essential and primary part of its message and assumed function 
in the world. This is ably set forth in the following from a 
recent address in the great Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, during 
a conference of the Church: 

"The individual Latter-day Saint is the unit in the Church; and in 
every organization the good or evil of the whole is but the algebraic 
sum of the good or evil represented by the several units. I remember, 
years ago, I was very much impressed on a visit to the markets of 
Paris. ... I noticed with interest the splendid display of garden vege- 
tables offered for sale, . . . and I was particularly impressed with the 
fact that every plant that was there brought to market seemed to be in a 
measure practically perfect; at least, it was good, if it was not ex- 
cellent. Every head of lettuce that was there offered for sale was a 
splendid one. I thought all the garden plants — lettuces, radishes, 
onions, turnips and potatoes, must have been sorted out. I saw no 
inferior ones at all. And I was so much interested in it that I went 
out to the gardens where these things were grown, the market gardens 
of Paris, and I talked with some of the gardeners and watched them 
at their work. I found there were many peculiarities about their 
work. They do not talk about having a half acre of lettuce, a half acre 
of radishes, but they tell you just how many lettuce plants they have, 
and just how many radish plants they have and just how many turnips 
they have in their gardens. . . . And I learned that they gave to each 
one their personal and individual attention. If the gardener found that 
this particular lettuce head did not seem to develop as well as its 
neighbor, he looked about to find the cause, and discovered, perhaps, 
that the shade of yonder gable, or that tree, fell upon the plant during 
the greater part of the morning, and shut away from it the sunlight; 
and he straightway transplanted the plant and put it a few feet farther 
out into the sunlight, where it could receive the kind of energizing 
influences of which it stood in need. I believe there should be a 
little more of the individual and intensive cultivation of souls here 
in the great garden of the Lord. It is all right to farm on the whole- 
sale plan, but it is not always the best kind of farming; and the Lord 
has provided that, in his garden, there shall be an attendant for every 
plant — not for every patch, not for every acre, but for every plant, 
and it shall be tended and watched and guarded and properly culti- 
vated. . . . The spirit of the Gospel is the spirit of individual develop- 
ment, the spirit of mutual help, the spirit of association; and as has 
been said already in this conference the world, into which we shall 
pass through the portals of death, will be a real world in which there 
will be an organization; and that organization ... we shall find to 
be on the same plan and pattern as the organization under which we 
live here, but it may be in a measure more perfect, perhaps more per- 
fectly adapted than ours is here to the conditions and circumstances 
of the place and of the time." — /. E. Talmage {'Salvation of the In- 
dividual, the Aim of the Gospel," Desert Evening News, June 28, 1913). 



CHAPTER XI 

THE PRACTICAL WORKINGS OF MORMONISM 

As has already been explained in the discussion of the organi- 
zation of the Mormon Church, the interests of each individual 
are by no means sacrificed to those of the mass. Each one has 
his place in the ranks, holding some grade of the priesthood, or 
belonging to some quorum, in addition to his regular member- 
ship in the ward and stake organizations. The whole force of 
the Mormon organization is exerted to maintain constant associa- 
tion of individual members, and such an arrangement could not 
fail to promote personal benefit and mutual helpfulness; at least 
so we would be informed, if the discussion were concerned with 
any other organization, religious or social. 

"As a people the Saints are thriving and prosperous, and are con- 
tinually extending their settlements throughout the inter-mountain region 
from the Province of Alberta, Canada, in the North, to the northern 
states of Old Mexico. They have 20,000 farms, 18,000 of which are 
free from mortgages and encumbrances; and ninety per cent, of the 
whole Church membership own their own homes, while the average 
number of people who own their homes in the United States is some- 
thing like five per cent. It has ever been the policy of the Church lead- 
ers to beget in their people an ambition to own their homes and the 
lands they cultivate, and avoid debt; the wisdom of which policy is 
unquestionably vindicated in the above showing." — B. H. Roberts 
(" Mormonism: its Origin and History," pp. 65-66). 

The interest of the Church in the individual member does not 
end, however, with the benefits accruing to him as the member 
of a ward, quorum or community. He is followed up in the 
midst of his troubles, as well as in the days of his prosperity 
and strength. As already indicated, it is an essential part of 
the duties of the ward bishop to inform himself as to the tem- 
poral condition of all persons and families in his ward. If a 
case of need is brought to his notice through the ministrations 
of the teachers or of the Relief Society, it is his duty to investi- 
gate further and give such relief as may be needed. It is the 
duty of the bishop, moreover, to dispense such charity as may 
be needed in individual cases, whether the applicant be a mem- 
ber of the Church, or not. Indeed, such is the liberality of 

145 



i 4 6 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Mormon well-doing that very many outsiders are assisted in 
their need, particularly those who have no friends or connections 
in the state. 

Accurate accounts of all disbursements for charity are ren- 
dered by the ward bishops to the Presiding Bishop. It is cus- 
tomary for the bishops to make regular allowances to the indi- 
gent aged and feeble, also, to widows, wherever necessary. 
Many persons are assisted temporarily, as to tide over a hard 
winter, or when unable to obtain employment. Very frequently 
the assistance so rendered is gladly returned, as soon as possible, 
although no condition ever attaches to any such advances made 
by the Church authorities. 

As represented by authoritative statements, the bulk of the 
expenditures for beneficence go to the aged, the infirm and the 
widows, also, as needed, to those out of work and in reduced 
circumstances. The inestimable advantage to persons of this 
class to be derived by membership in such an organization as the 
Mormon Church may thus be understood. But, as if to make 
good its claim that our present order must be supplanted by some 
other offering greater justice and opportunity to the individual, 
the Presiding Bishop is authorized, not only to relieve temporary 
embarrassment, but also to maintain a regular bureau for solicit- 
ing employment for persons out of work. In the operation of 
this bureau, whose services may be commanded without charge 
of any kind, the Bishop's office regularly sends out forms of in- 
quiry to all the bishops, asking what opportunities are to be ob- 
tained by unemployed men in their wards. Every sixty days, 
as a rule, answers to such inquiries are received, and unem- 
ployed persons directed to places where employment may be had. 
If necessary, they are assisted to places designated. The regu- 
lar forms periodically circulated by the Church authorities are 
given herewith: 

Bishop 

Ward. 

Dear Brother: 

Will you please advise us if there are any opportunities in your vi- 
cinity for employment; such as farm work, janitor service, ordinary 
day labor, work in factories, mills or other similar employment ? 

Enclosed is a blank form upon which we shall be pleased to receive 
a report from you within the next 15 days, and if you think it would 
help in this good work, read this letter at your next ward priesthood 
meeting. 

Many of our brethren are out of work, and we have more applications 
here at our Employment Bureau than we can fill. Besides this, many 
Latter-day Saints are arriving from foreign lands, and we feel it a 
special duty to render them all possible assistance, so that they can ob- 
tain a livelihood among our people. 



THE PRACTICAL WORKINGS OF MORMONISM 147 

Thanking you for the help you may be able to render us in this good 
cause, we are m 

Your brethren in the Gospel, 

Presiding Bishopric. 

The blank form enclosed with such letters is as follows : 

Ward 

Stake 

19.. 

LABOR REPORT 
Bishop C. W. Nibley & Counselors, 

Salt Lake City, Utah. 
Dear Brethren: 
We can furnish work in our ward as follows : 

Class of Work and Wages 

(Here follows a ruled blank for appropriate entries) 

Respectfully yours, 

Bishop. 

Of course, as may be readily understood, opportunities for 
securing suitable employment may not always be found for the 
asking, and, as it sometimes happens, a man may be supported 
from the Church funds for some time before finding a position 
that he can fill to satisfaction. He is greatly advantaged, how- 
ever, in having available to his needs so well organized an " em- 
ployment bureau " as is conducted by the Presiding Bishop's 
office, which makes a constant and systematic canvass of all the 
wards of the Church for the very kind of situations that new- 
comers may require. In special cases such letters as the fol- 
lowing are sent out to the ward bishops. These letters are actual 
transcripts from letters mailed by the Presiding Bishop. 

Special Appeal for Newly Arrived Families: Unemployed. 

191... 

Bishop 

... Ward. 

Dear Brother: 

It has been deemed advisable to extend our efforts in the matter of 
assisting our people along the line of their industrial activities. It is 
desirable that our brethren and sisters, who come to us from the mission 
fields, should be properly located and begin their new homes in an en- 
vironment and under conditions that will be conducive of their best 
temporal and spiritual welfare. Besides this, there are many families 
now residing in the crowded centers of population, who would be far 
better off in every way if they could locate in the country districts. 

We have thought of your locality as a likely place for such people to 
settle, and we shall be glad to have you advise us just what the situa- 






i 4 8 THE REAL MORMONISM 

tion is in your ward. Can you assist one or more families to get started, 
who might come to you with nothing more than a willingness to work 
and determination to succeed? If so, please give us the specific con- 
ditions on which such a family could begin, as for instance, " we have 
in this ward a farm of 20 acres, with a fairly good three room house, 
barn, etc., which a family might take on shares, with an option to 
purchase, etc." 

If there is no such opening, what is the possibility for a family with 
a very limited capital? 

The spirit back of our efforts is the same that has prompted our 
people from the beginning of the history of the Church. We feel that 
it is the duty of each member to help his brother as far as possible. In 
the earlier days, when a new brother came to reside among us, one 
neighbor gave him a chicken, another gave him a pig, and possibly some 
more prosperous brother gave him a cow. Occasionally the neighbors 
helped him to plow his first ten acres, and a general interest was taken 
in him until he got well started and then he in turn was able to assist 
some one else. Many of our people have to thank this interest taken in 
them upon their arrival for their present success and temporal prosperity. 

To obtain the successful results hoped for in this movement it will 
be necessary to have the cooperation of the presiding brethren and the 
saints as a whole in the wards where new comers locate. We feel con- 
fident that this movement meets a long felt need among our people and, 
therefore, will have your hearty support. 

Your brethren in the Gospel, 

The Presiding Bishopric. 

By 

Special Letter to Mission Presidents in Behalf of Young Mission- 
aries About to Return from Their Fields of Labor. 

191... 

President 

Mission. 

Dear Brother : 
_ It has been deemed advisable to extend our efforts in the matter of as- 
sisting our people along the line of their industrial activities. It is espe- 
cially desirable that our brethren and sisters who come from the mission 
fields should be properly located, and begin their new homes in an en- 
vironment and under conditions that will be conducive of their best tem- 
poral and spiritual welfare. The department, having this matter in 
charge, is under the direction of Elder Roscoe W. Eardley, late Presi- 
dent of the Netherlands Mission. 

It will be our endeavor to assist returned missionaries, where neces- 
sary, to secure suitable employment or take up their work where they 
laid it down to enter the missionary service. We will also enlist the serv- 
ices of elders who are returning from their missions abroad, and who are 
in a position to assist those who have emigrated from the fields in which 
they have labored, by asking them to take a fatherly interest in such 
immigrants until they have established themselves in the stakes of Zion. 

To attain the best results in these matters, it will be necessary that 
we have the co-operation of the presiding brethren in all the mission 
fields, and to facilitate this matter, we are sending under separate cover 
forms to be filled in and forwarded to this office, prior to the de- 



THE PRACTICAL WORKINGS OF MORMONISM 149 

parture of the missionary or immigrant from the field. These reports 
are confidential. 

Will you please ask all returning missionaries to call at this office upon 
their arrival in Salt Lake City, and enquire for Brother Eardley? 

We feel confident that this movement meets a long felt need among 
our people, and therefore will have your hearty support. 
Your brethren in the Gospel. 

The Presiding Bishopric. 

By 

The practice of circulating such appeals to the Church authori- 
ties, also of advertising in the public prints, as is also done on 
occasions, indicates a laudable benevolent activity, and may be 
held to signify no more than a practical application on a sys- 
tematic scale of the very spirit that inspires all intending bene- 
factors of their fellow-men. We must not lose sight of one 
essential feature, however, and this is that the Mormon Church, 
unlike other religious bodies, does not leave this highly impor- 
tant branch of practical benevolence to unassociated good inten- 
tions, nor yet to auxiliary organizations, as is the current prac- 
tice elsewhere. It gains an immense prestige among its follow- 
ers by meeting them and providing to supply their needs at the 
very times and at the very crises in their several careers, when 
help and encouragement, temporal and material, as well as spir- 
itual, is most sorely needed. If the mechanism of this Church's 
organization is kept running, as it was intended by its founders 
that it should run; if, in other words, the accredited officers are 
faithful in the performance of their appointed and designated 
duties, there need be no just charge of unanswered prayers of 
need and distress. If such officers do not perform their proper 
duties — and it must be said to their credit that the average of 
faithfulness is high among them — the fault is in them, and in 
the failings common to humanity, and not in the organization. 
In any case, the organization is there, but, like every other ma- 
chine, designed for practical work in the world, it must be kept 
well oiled and in running order. 

As previously suggested, the Church itself frequently pro- 
vides, not only temporary relief for the distressed and for those 
out of employment, but also, in many cases, has created work for 
the sake of employing those among its poor who had not been 
located otherwise. This, as previously stated, was Brigham 
Young's object in taking the contracts for the building of the 
Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads in 1868-69. He 
also projected and built, entirely with home capital and home 
labor, the Deseret Telegraph line in Utah, which was later 
operated in connection with the great transcontinental system. 
Other more local enterprises were undertaken in precisely the 



150 THE REAL MORMONISM 

same spirit. Thus, to give employment to the unemployed he 
caused a high wall to be erected around the Temple Block, and 
another high wall, built of cobble stones and concrete, around 
the tithing office and his own premises. A wall intended to 
encompass the city, which, while intended as a protection against 
Indians, was undertaken with a view to create labor. 

The building of Saltair as a great bathing resort on the Great 
Salt Lake is another enterprise which has given employment to 
many people, and it could not have come into existence at the 
time it did if the Church with its means and credit had not 
backed the enterprise. This famous resort was built in 1893. 

In view of the facts mentioned above, even the smallest, as 
last given, it would take no very great insight to discern the fact 
that the Mormon Church has set itself to the very laudable task 
of actually abolishing poverty, or, at the least helpless indigence. 
That this is a very desirable end in our present civilization can- 
not be denied; that it is, also, quite in the line of what Christ 
evidently had in view, no matter how much his pretended fol- 
lowers may have ignored and neutralized his teachings, is too 
evident to need discussion of any kind. Apart, however, from 
consideration of the teachings of Christ, or of the claims of any 
organization whatsoever, it is clear that poverty and indigence, 
as well as the vices causing them — extravagance, indifference, 
hypocrisy, on the one hand, and intemperance, shiftlessness and 
ignorance, on the other — must be done away with, if civiliza- 
tion is to continue. That the Mormon Church recognizes this 
fact, and acts accordingly, while all other professed religious 
bodies have stupidly and culpably ignored it, is decidedly to the 
credit of its founders and leaders, and a rebuke to its opponents, 
who, while busying themselves with criticisms and fault-seeking, 
have contrived no effectual rivalry to its practical methods, leav- 
ing really humanitarian souls no alternatives other than social- 
ism, or some other schemes of so-called sociology or economics, 
which are both non-religious and non-Christian. 



CHAPTER XII 

THE MORAL RECORD OF THE MORMON PEOPLE 

In the discussion of any other social and religious system, 
similarly well organized, the moral and ethical benefits of close 
association would be cheerfully admitted, and appreciatively dis- 
cussed. In the case of the Mormon Church, however, the wall 
of prejudice is so high and the clouds of downright misrepre- 
sentation so thick, that it will be necessary to give figures and 
examples to demonstrate the fact that, in this case of close asso- 
ciation, also, the rule operates normally. 

In our study of the institution of plural marriage, which has 
so terribly inflamed our preacher-folk, in spite of the fact that 
it was a recognized institution among God's people of ancient 
times, and was not forbidden or condemned by Christ in any un- 
mistakable terms, we shall find that the women of Mormondom, 
while highly independent, individual and self-reliant, as a rule, 
are, at the same time, nobly womanly, holding the begetting and 
rearing of offspring as their highest prerogative. While the 
much-mooted right of female suffrage was first granted under 
Mormon rule, and the equality of the sexes first openly advo- 
cated by Joseph Smith, there was never a " woman movement " 
among these people, nor any of the degenerate spirit of " sex- 
antagonism," so disgustingly rampant in England, and, to a 
great extent, in America. Any person informed in sociology, let 
alone morals, cannot help but recognize that, in this particular, 
at least, the Mormon influence has been wholly on the side of 
right, decency, justice and of intelligent and normal sentiment. 
If the Christian public in England and America can view the 
exasperated reaction, known as the " woman movement," as a 
" phase of evolutionary development," or as an " incident " in 
the life of nations, it is a sad comment on the sufficiency of the 
ideals and spiritual influences under which they have been reared. 
Whatever they may think of their own case, they have no just 
ground of criticism of a people who have accomplished grand re- 
sults with none of these grievous and pathological " labor pains." 

Nearly the most important and typical phase of public moral- 
ity lies in the matter of temperance; which is usually under- 
stood to connote moderation in the use of alcoholic drinks. The 

151 



152 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Mormons claim considerable immunity from the ravages of this 
social disease of " gin-guzzling," because of their belief in the 
Word of Wisdom, an accepted revelation condemning the prac- 
tice, along with the use of tobacco, tea, and coffee, and gluttony 
in meat eating. This claim by itself is, of course, no argument 
in favor of their practical consistency; since the world has seen 
a sufficiency of high professions and low practices, and is in- 
clined to discount the former, except in the case of itself and 
friends. There is one good reason, however, for assuming the 
probability, at least, of the consistency of Mormon claims in this 
particular: this is, again, the fact of the strong and close asso- 
ciation of the members of the Church. Among the loosely or- 
ganized sects of Protestantism, or in the other-worldly Catholic 
Church, hypocrisy and inconsistency in religious and moral pro- 
fessions may be long maintained, without fear of detection — 
as a matter of experience, this is evidently true — but where 
people are constantly associated in their religion, social life, 
amusements and business employments, as are the Mormons, 
there is always a liability to discovery and condemnation. No 
one can deny that some of these people, at least, are sincerely 
consistent in their professions: and such are always liable to 
" run amuck " and really denounce hypocrisy. We may under- 
stand, therefore, that the principle of strong and close organiza- 
tion is undoubtedly justified as a moral safeguard, as well as an 
effective engine for social and religious benefits to the people 
included in its " quorums." 

In the matter of indulgence in alcoholic drinks, which all 
agree is undesirable, and all are allowed to condemn seriously, 
except Mormons, the following from a seasoned traveler and 
keen observer is significant: 

" The Mormons drunken ! Now what, for instance, can be the con- 
clusion of any honest thinker from this fact — that though I mixed con- 
stantly with Mormons, all of them anxious to show me every hospitality 
and courtesy, I was never at any time asked to take a glass of strong 
drink? If I wanted a horse to ride or to drive I had a choice at once 
offered me. If I wanted someone to go with me to some point of in- 
terest, his time was mine. Yet it never occurred to them to show a 
courtesy by suggesting ' a drink.' 

"Then, seriously, how can any one have respect for the literature or 
the men who, without knowing anything of the lives of Mormons, stigma- 
tize them as profane, adulterous, and drunken ? As a community I know 
them, from personal advantages of observation such as no non-Mormon 
writer has ever previously possessed, to be at any rate exceptionally care- 
ful in maintaining the appearance of piety and sobriety ; and I leave it to 
my readers to judge whether such solid hypocrisy as this, that tries to 
abolish all swearing and all strong drink both by precept from the pul- 
pit and example in the household, is not, after all, nearly as admirable 
as the real thing itself. 

"This, at all events, is beyond doubt — that the Mormons have al- 



MORAL RECORD OF THE MORMON PEOPLE 153 

ways struggled hard to prevent the sale of liquors in Salt Lake City, ex- 
cept under strict regulations and supervision. But the fight has gone 
against them. The courts uphold the right of publicans to sell when and 
what they choose ; and the Mormons, who could at one time boast — and 
visitors without number have borne evidence to the fact — that a drunk- 
ard was never to be seen, an oath never to be heard, in the streets of their 
city, have now to confess that, thanks to the example of Gentiles, they 
have both drunkards and profane men among them. But the general at- 
titude of the Church toward these delinquents, and the sorrow that their 
weakness causes in the family circle, are in themselves proofs of the 
sincerity in sobriety which distinguishes the Mormons. Nor is it any 
secret that if the Mormons had the power they would to-morrow close all 
the saloons and bars, except those under Church regulation, and then, 
they say, ' we might hope to s*ee the old days back when we never thought 
of locking our doors at night, and when our wives and girls, let them be 
out ever so late, needed no escort in the streets.' " — Phil Robinson (Sin- 
ners and Saints, pp. 239-240). 

At another page, Mr. Robinson gives figures to bolster up 
such contentions as are made above. Speaking of the results of 
a canvass made in the year of his visit to Utah (1882), he says: 

"Last winter there was a census taken of the Utah Penitentiary and 
the Salt Lake City and county prisons with the following result: — In 
Salt Lake City there are about 75 Mormons to 25 non-Mormons : in Salt 
Lake County there are about 80 Mormons to 20 non-Mormons. Yet in 
the city prison there were 29 convicts, all non-Mormons; in the county 
prison there were 6 convicts, all non-Mormons. The jailer stated that 
the county convicts for the five years past were all anti-Mormons ex- 
cept three! 

" In Utah the proportion of Mormons to all others is as 83 to 17. In 
the Utah Penitentiary at the date of the census there were 51 prisoners, 
only 5 of whom were Mormons, and 2 of the 5 were in prison for po- 
lygamy, so that the 17 per cent. ' outsiders ' had 46 convicts in the peni- 
tentiary, while the 83 per cent. Mormons had but 5 ! 

" Out of the 200 saloon, billiard, bowling alley and pool-table keepers 
not over a dozen even profess to be Mormons. All of the bagnios and 
other disreputable concerns in the territory are run and sustained by non- 
Mormons. Ninety-eight per cent, of the gamblers in Utah are of the 
same element. Ninety-five per cent, of the Utah lawyers are Gentiles, 
and 98 per cent, of all the litigation there is of outside growth and 
promotion. Of the 250 towns and villages in Utah, over 200 have no 
' gaudy sepulchre of departed virtue,' and these two hundred and odd 
towns are almost exclusively Mormon in population. Of the suicides 
committed in Utah ninety odd per cent, are non-Mormon, and of the 
Utah homicides and infanticides over 80 per cent, are perpetrated by the 
17 per cent, of 'outsiders.' — Ibid., p. J2. 

Mr. Robinson's testimony is quotable; first, because he was a 
careful and unprejudiced observer, as keen to notice the defects 
of Mormon character as its excellencies — this anyone may 
understand from reading his book; second, because he quotes 
correctly figures gathered authoritatively, and to be found in 
other printed records of the times. Assuming, for the sake of 
argument, that the Mormon professions of opposition to the 
traffic in intoxicants is perfectly sincere, the consequences, as 



i 5 4 THE REAL MORMONISM 

noted by Robinson, are precisely those one would expect to find. 
Beyond doubt, the greater proportion of crimes flows from in- 
dulgence in alcohol, which degrades the physical system and 
weakens the sense of right and wrong, along with the strength 
of will to resist temptation. It is also a well recognized fact 
that the initial step in the path of drunkenness, and eventual 
ruin and disgrace, is to be traced to bad influences in youth, or 
to no effective influences at all. If, therefore, one is brought 
up in an atmosphere in which moral influences repel, rather than 
excite respect, and allow the notion to grow in the mind that 
carelessness in speech and act, and indulgence, to any extent in 
forbidden pastimes, is either " manly " or " smart," the fault is 
quite as certainly to be found in the method of presenting moral 
teachings, as in the native depravity of the delinquent himself. 
If, on the other hand, one is reared and educated in a society, in 
which he is brought into constant association with men who 
make a public boast that they eschew all the vices, against which 
youth are warned, and lead such lives as excite respect and emu- 
lation, instead of half-hearted and womanish attitudes toward 
the world, the result cannot fail to keep a large percentage of 
young men in the strait way, until they are old enough, at least, 
to be wicked clandestinely, as we are informed. This is, in brief, 
the antithesis between the impracticable, other-worldly attitude 
of current influences, and the well-organized, practical, "this- 
world " attitude, as embodied in the Mormon Church. 

So far as concerns the influence of this organization on the 
moral of its young men, the record of the Deseret Gymnasium, 
in Salt Lake City, is significant. Of 1,100 applicants for ad- 
mission, examined in three years, the physical director, William 
R. Day, reports a clean record so far as any evidence of per- 
sonal immoralities are concerned. The attitude of the people 
toward the liquor traffic is even more satisfactory. The table 
on following page shows the number of liquor saloons in the 
regularly organized stakes of the Church, during two record years. 

As is explained in place, a stake is a section of territory, 
either in the country or in a city, analogous to the diocese or see 
of a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. As such, it is merely 
an ecclesiastical jurisdiction, without reference to the religious 
or racial affiliations of the inhabitants included in its confines. 
Thus, there are four stakes in the city limits of Salt Lake City, 
which, at the present time, are known as the Salt Lake, Ensign, 
Liberty, and Pioneer stakes. As in this city in 1910, the Mor- 
mons numbered about 40,000 out of a total population of about 
93,000, they cannot be blamed either for the existence of all the 
130 saloons, nor for the failure to close them. The figures 



MORAL RECORD OF THE MORMON PEOPLE 155 

Liquor Saloons in Mormon Stakes 

Stake. 1909 1910 Inc. Dec. Stake. 1909 1910 Inc. Dec. 

Alberta 3 3 • • North Sanpete 4 2 . . 2 

Alpine 8 1 . . 7 North Weber 4 4 . . 

Bannock 5 . . . . 5 Ogden 3 3 . . 

Bear Lake 7 2 . . 5 Oneida 



Bear River 2 2 . . . . Panquitch 

Beaver 7 7 . . . . Parowan 

Benson 2 2 . . . . Pioneer 7 6 .. 1 

Big Horn 2 .. .. 2 Pocatello 

Bingham 3 . . . . 3 Rigby 2 . . . . 2 

Blackf oot 10 8 . . 2 Salt Lake 67 75 8 

Box Elder 2 2 . . . . St. George 2 . . . . 2 

Cache 5 1 . . 4 St. Johns 1 1 . . 

Carbon 24 24 . . St. Joseph 94 38 . . 56 

Cassia 11 .. .. 11 San Juan 

Davis 4 3 .. 1 San Luis 

Duchesne Sevier 7 8 I .. 

Emery 17 2 . . 15 Snowflake 1 1 . . 

Ensign 48 42 . . 6 South Sanpete 2 2 . . 

Fremont 2 . . . . 2 Star Valley 1 1 

Granite 14 12 . . 2 Summit 22 23 1 

Hyrum Taylor 6 6 

Jordan 40 40 . . . . Teton 1 1 . . 

Juab 3 . . . . 3 Tooele 21 12 . . 9 

Juarez Uintah 4 4 . . 

Kanab Union 14 14 

Liberty 9 11 2 .. Utah 13 20 7 .. 

Malad Wasatch 

Maricopa 4 4 . . . . Wayne 

Millard 4 . . . . 4 Weber 47 47 . . 

Morgan Woodruff 77 77 . . 

Nebo 25 18 . . 7 Yellowstone 5 2 .. 3 

Totals — 

Number of saloons open in 1909 624 

Number of saloons open in 1910 512 

Local Increases, as shown in 1910 47 

Local Decreases, as shown in 1910 154 

Total decrease from 1909 to 1910 112 

Stakes without saloons in 1909 17 

Stakes without saloons in 1910 23 

Stakes without saloons in both years 14 

given in the above table, however, show a general trend toward 
improvement in the matter of liquor selling resorts. Thus, while 
an increase of such places occurs in 8 cases, there is a decrease 
in 23, and this represents the closing of 112 saloons and beer 
shops. It is also notable that the number of stakes having no 
saloons rose from 17 to 23 in one year, with 14 having none in 
both years. Also, the several local increases totaled less than 
one-third of the total decreases in the same period. 

It has been the claim of the Mormon Church authorities that 
the Stakes of Zion have always been virtually free of saloons, on 



156 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the general ground that, as there was no business for these 
resorts, they could not maintain themselves. This allegation has 
been frequently substantiated by the reports of travelers of all 
classes of sympathy, who have remarked on the order and so- 
briety to be found in Mormon towns. Of course, with the intro- 
duction of outside elements, largely of the adventurous classes, 
the liquor traffic grew, and is now strongest in the sections of 
the state having the largest percentage of non-Mormon popu- 
lation. 

The attitude of the people toward the liquor traffic was even 
better demonstrated in 191 1, when the popular vote was taken 
under the new local option law. According to the official figures 
for 103 towns and cities, as given by the state statistician, there 
were 40,780 votes cast against licensing the liquor traffic, and 
31,504 in favor of the traffic. The no license measure was car- 
ried in 86 towns and cities by a total vote of 26,358 against 6,691 ; 
while in the remaining 17 places the license was established by a 
vote of 22,594 against 13,898. Furthermore, out of this total 
of favorable votes, 18,710 were cast in Salt Lake and Ogden, 
where " gentiles " outnumber Mormons by the ratios of 53 to 
40 and 24 to 10, respectively, leaving a total in the remaining 
15 places of 3,884 votes for and 1,681 against license. Accord- 
ing to the figures furnished by the federal excise office, there 
were 599 places, saloons, beer shops and drug stores, in these 17 
" wet " towns, doing a retail business in alcoholic liquors, out 
of which 410 were in Salt Lake and Ogden, leaving a total of 
189 in the remaining 15 towns and villages. 

In the meantime, the 86 " dry " towns and villages contained, 
according to the federal records, 135 shops and drug stores 
licensed to retail liquors, distributed through 51 of these towns, 
35 of which had contained no such licensed places before the 
election. 

Of the 17 towns voting " wet," 9 were in the mining counties 
of Carbon (3), Juab (2), Summit (1), and Tooele (3) ; 6 were 
in the Salt Lake and Weber counties, populous in non-Mor- 
mons, and the remaining 2, in Beaver and Emery counties, were 
on the lines of the railroads. Such data very effectively divide 
any responsibility that one may attempt to lay at the doors of 
Mormon voters. The fact is, however, that the votes of this 
election show conclusively that the Mormons have made good 
on their profession of opposition to the liquor traffic, and that 
the responsibility of keeping it among them lies, almost, if not 
entirely, on the shoulders of the "gentile" voters in the state. 

According to the returns of this election, it will be impossible 
for any really honest and candid person to deny that Mormonism 



MORAL RECORD OF THE MORMON PEOPLE 157 

has done its best to oppose the liquor traffic, which is the most 
prolific source of crime and vice among us, and has, so far, 
made good on its claims to propagating a superior order of 
morality among its people. Leaving out of account the hypo- 
critical rant about " polygamy " — and even this may be prefer- 
able to the orders of immorality, which our traditional sects 
have never succeeded in neutralizing — statistics show that Mor- 
mon communities certainly average far higher in other virtues 
than communities under other auspices. If the aim of religion 
is, in any sense, to benefit the public, and to overcome the grosser 
forms of evil, at least, it must be acknowledged that Mormonism 
certainly ranks near the top as a beneficial religious influence. 
These matters, however, can be determined only by statistics, 
since the bare assertion of travelers and other observers, who 
wish to be just to their fellow-men, are habitually contradicted 
by such a mass of sectarian misrepresentation that it is impos- 
sible to make the public believe even the plainest facts. 

In several books and periodicals we find statistics, apparently 
authoritative, to the general effect that the larger proportion 
of the crimes ever brought to the attention of the authorities in 
his territory and state, has been committed by the minority of 
" gentiles " there resident or sojourning. This contention seems 
to derive some element of probability, in view of the facts on 
the liquor traffic already noted. 

A considerable amount of such statistical matter was con- 
tributed to Utah newspapers in the early " eighties ■" by a writer 
using the nom-de-plume of Historicus. His findings deserve 
some attention because they have been widely quoted, both by 
such writers as Phil Robinson, and several Mormon compilers. 
The figures given at this time are significant from another point 
of view, also, since the Territory was then less populous than 
at present, and the Mormons were rather largely in the majority 
in most centres. This statistician furnishes the data tabulated on 
the following page on the crime record of Ogden to the Deseret 
Evening News of Sept. 18, 1884. He says : 

" To fully appreciate the magnitude of non-Mormon lawlessness over 
that of the Mormons who reside in Utah's second city, it must be borne 
in mind that in a total population of 7,000 souls, the Mormon and non- 
Mormon elements are as 7 to 3, or 71 Mormons to 29 non-Mormons. 
Here is a delectable repast, which no doubt will appetize the local regen- 
erators, and reassure them that they are succeeding admirably in reform- 
ing the Mormons, whom they persistently stigmatize as being 'uncivil- 
ized/ ' semi-barbarous/ ' brutal/ ' lustful/ v lawless/ etc., etc., etc." 

In addition to the practical accomplishments mentioned in 
the following list, which shows the immense superiority (1 to 
none) of " gentiles " over Mormons in the matter of " cruelty 



158 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Mormon Crimes 
(During the year ending December 31, 1883.) 

Crime Mormons Non-Mormons 

Assault 2 5 

Assault and Battery 6 27 

Drunk 17 97 

Drunk and Disorderly 3 37 

Disturbing the Peace 25 79 

Petit Larceny 9 36 

Indecent Conduct 2 6 

Lewd Conduct 5 4° 

Vagrancy 1 64 

Fast Driving 3 4 

Cruelty to Animals 1 

Totals 74 395 

to animals," the author proceeds to name 17 other crimes com- 
mitted among 68 offenders, all non-Mormons : 

Burglary , 1 

Grand Larceny 2 

Keeping Brothels 3 

Gambling 23 

Keeping Gambling Houses 3 

Illegal Liquor Selling 11 

Other Police Offenses 25 

Of inmates of brothels, employes of breweries, saloons and 
billiard rooms, arrested for various disorders, in addition to 
those named above, the report specified 5 Mormons (none in 
the brothels) and 52 non- Mormons. Historicus then concludes, 
as follows: 

" Now, if the 29 per cent. non-Mormons of Ogden City had respected 
and upheld the laws of that municipality with the same fidelity as the 
71 per cent. Mormons have been doing, their arrest product would have 
been but 21, and not 463, as shown in the list. And again, if the 71 per 
cent. Mormons had last year been as lawless as the 29 per cent. non- 
Mormons, 1,621 arrests of their class would have been recorded, instead 
of the comparatively small number of 74, as the same exhibit shows." 
In treating of such a matter as this from the public records, it 
must be distinctly borne in mind that it is by no means easy to 
make such bold comparisons on the delinquency of members of 
different religious faiths. In many cases the arrested person, 
particularly when accused of a grave crime, will falsify on the 
matter of his religious connection and other personal concerns. 
For this reason, it has been the habit in many prisons to make 
no record of religion, except in rare occasions. This objection 
did not apply so easily in the early days of Utah, when the 
religious affiliations of most people were easy to discover. Nor 
is it so great an objection in that state at present, when a large 



MORAL RECORD OF THE MORMON PEOPLE 159 



proportion of the inhabitants are Mormons. Average figures 
may indicate fairly well, therefore, the moral character of the in- 
habitants. 

If by no other method, or by no other testimony, the character 
and moral status of a community, or state, may be judged from 
the police and prison records. Unless we expect to find angelic 
perfection, however, we must not make too much of the former ; 
but convictions for felonies are real indicators, and these are 
to be found recorded in the reports of state prisons. Accord- 
ingly, the following table has been compiled from the annual 
reports of the state penitentiary of Utah for the first sixteen 
years of statehood. 

Convictions for Felonies, 1896-1911 



County 



96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 Tot. 



Beaver 

Box Elder . 

Cache 

Carbon . . . 

Davis 

Emery 
Garfield . . . 
Grand 

Iron 

Juab 

Kane 

Millard . . . 
Morgan . . . 

Piute 

Rich 

Salt Lake . 
San Juan . 
Sanpete . . . 
Sevier 
Summit . . . 

Tooele 

Uintah . . . 

Utah 

Wasatch . . 
Washington 
Wayne 
Weber .... 
U. S. Ct.. 
Various . . . 



3 

4 

19 29 



2 


I 


2 


I 




4 


I 






I 






I 


I 




6 


3 


3 


I 












I 


I 


I 


1 




I 


2 


I 


I 


1 




2 


I 













32 35 3i 34 



52 



74 



79 



31 34 26 



IS 
96 
63 
73 
52 
50 
14 
16 
10 
25 
10 
17 
13 
10 
8 

706 
11 
42 
21 
27 
27 
33 

149 

27 

8 

t 

355 
37 
35 



Residents of 
Utah \2 25 30 33 17 


21 


17 24 24 26 


21 22 26 


26 29 24 377 


Non-Residents 

of Utah.. 72 91 69 67 82 


81 


79 107 91 108 


88 112 131 


140 126 137 1581 


Totals 84 116 99 100 99 


102 


96 131 115 134 


109 134 i57 


166 155 161 1958 



The analysis of this table is most interesting, as an indicator of 
the law-abiding character of the people of Utah. Apparently, 
we have, in the first 16 years of statehood, a total of 1958 
commitments to the State Penitentiary; out of which but 377 
were of residents of the State of Utah, or about 19.25% of 
the whole. Taking the average population, as given in the last 
three censuses (1890, 1900, 1910), as about 286,000, we find that 



160 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the 377 commitments of residents represent about 1.32% of the 
total average population during the entire period. Furthermore, 
according to the representations of the authorities, the greater 
number of commitments in any year come from places near 
railway centres, or from mining regions, or localities in which 
large numbers of outsiders are likely to be employed. The large 
numbers of commitments from Salt Lake, Utah and Weber coun- 
ties, 1,210 in all, or a little less than % of the total, shows the 
results of the influx of outsiders, who are particularly numerous 
in these counties. It is also interesting to notice that the figures 
already given, combined with those for Carbon and Juab counties, 
now prevailingly " gentile " in population, give a total of 1308, 
or over % of the entire number of commitments, although the 
population figures in the last three censuses are only slightly over 
one-half of the figures for the entire territory or state. 

According to the reports of the state bureau of statistics, the 
total number of convictions in the state courts for all classes of 
offenses are as follows: 339 in 1900; 431 in 1902; 506 in 1903; 
459 in 1904; 520 in 1905; 195 in 1909; 222 in 1910. The most 
serious of these offenses, numerically speaking, are given in 
the following table compiled from the records of the bureau of 
statistics : 

Crimes and Misdemeanors Commonest in Utah in Seven Years of 

Record 

Pop. 
Offense 1900 1902 1903 1904 1905 1909 1910 Totals Centres 

Assault 16 23 21 26 13 5 10 114 51 

Battery 10 14 19 32 3 5 3 86 30 

Burglary 21 30 19 29 57 75 60 291 199 

(Disturbing Peace... 58 56 81 62 21 2 .. 280 101 

House-breaking 12 19 21 11 8 .. .. 71 31 

Gd. Larceny 14 14 23 19 19 22 34 145 75 

Pt. Larceny 57 75 81 45 64 3 4 329 205 

Mai. Mischief 23 7 11 6 5 .. .. 52 24 

Unclassified 58 115 162 130 193 10 .. 668 482 

Totals 269 353 438 360 383 122 in 2036 1 198 

Total for Year 339 431 506 459 520 195 222 2672 1745 

This table exhibits the fact that, in the seven years of record, 
there analyzed, 2,036 convictions out of a grand total of 2,672 
were had for eight crimes and misdemeanors of varying degrees 
of gravity, and a number of others, here bunched together under 
the head of " unclassified." Moreover, 1,198 of these were 
committed in the centres of population, Salt Lake, Utah and 
Weber counties, which, as shown by the preceding table, gave, 



MORAL RECORD OF THE MORMON PEOPLE 161 

also, the greater number of commitments to the state penitentiary 
in the first 16 years of statehood. Out of the grand total of 
convictions for every class of crime, as just given, 1,745 were 
had in these same three counties, leaving a remainder of 927 
convictions in seven years of record to be distributed over the 
entire remainder of the state of Utah. We also see that, with the 
eight offenses specified, and the " unclassified," 1,198 were com- 
mitted in these centres of population, leaving a total of 838 
for evil-doers in the remainder of the state. 

When we consider that the state of Utah is largely Mormon, 
with the exception of Carbon, Juab and Salt Lake counties, and 
sections of Utah and Weber counties, where there are large set- 
tlements of people of other persuasions, it is fairly clear that 
Mormonism is effective in reducing the crime average to some 
intelligible extent. It may be objected that the larger percentage 
of all offenses have been committed in or near the great centres 
of population, as in all states, but the penitentiary records, as 
above quoted, show only 377 actual residents of Utah, in a total 
of 1,958 convictions, of which 1,210 were recorded from Salt 
Lake, Utah and Weber counties. 

The state statistics of the state of Utah give us, also, signifi- 
cant data on the classes of crimes most often charged against 
Mormons, by their traducers — impurity and homicide. We will, 
therefore, analyze the returns in these matters also. Taking 
the figures covering the offenses of adultery, bigamy, fornication, 
unlawful cohabitation, rape, criminal conversation, homicide, and, 
also, abortion, during the seven years already analyzed, we have 
the results shown in the following table. 

Crimes of Impurity and Violence in Seven Years of Record in Utah 

Pop. 
Offense 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1909 1910 Totals Centres 

Adultery, etc 18 8 7 14 15 12 17 91 38 

Abortion 1 1 1 . . 3 

Rape 4 2 2 8 5 

Crim. Con 2 2 6 4 9 3 6 32 15 

Homicide 3 3 5 •• 4 3 2 20 9 

Totals 27 15 20 19 29 19 25 154 67 

This table shows that of crimes of lewdness 58 out of 131 were 
committed in the centres of population, as would be the case 
in any other state; 9 out of the twenty homicides occurred in 
the same region. It is significant that no evidence of florid 
excess exists in the records. Although, in default of data touch- 
ing the religious or national affiliation of any of the persons con- 



162 THE REAL MORMONISM 

victed of crimes and misdemeanors, it must be admitted that the 
State of Utah shows a very clean record, so far as its regular 
residents are concerned. We find, at least, no figures condemn- 
ing Mormonism. 



The accusations Of evil behavior have been absurdly overdone 
by the enemies of Mormonism. The following homely verses 
sum the virtues claimed by Mormons as the consequence of their 
faith. They are worthy attention as being from the pen of a non- 
member of the Church. 

" Where courts, rumshops, brothels are naught, 
Except where Gentiles their customs brought. 
Where water instead of wine is sent 
To administer the sacrament! 
Where thieves and blacklegs never go, 
And tramps and bummers have no show! 
Where idle fellows all dislike, 
And where the workmen never strike! 
Where bad diseases are not known, 
And Restelism has never grown! 
Where every workman has house and barn, 
And every farmer owns his farm ! 
Where all the children go to school, 
And where you cannot find a fool ! 
Where banks don't break and Ring intrigues 
Are not as thick as Union Leagues ! 
Where women as well as men are sent 
When Mormons elect their President ! 
Where no drunkard murders his bride, 
And ends his life by suicide! 
Where reform don't mean a prison, 
The flag that floats is Mormonism ! " 

— The Agitator (Buffalo, N. Y.), Oct., 1877. 



Ill 

THE TEACHINGS OF MORMONISM 

" It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, 
and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another." 

— Joseph Smith. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 

The theology of Mormonism is a consistent body of doctrine, 
in which all parts belong together as elements of a logical system, 
also, in a very real sense, a definite and intelligent attempt to 
forestall the numerous questions, and to settle the many prob- 
lems that have arisen in traditional systems of thought. Whether 
or not, as claimed, its doctrines are based upon a new series of 
divine revelations, it is perfectly evident to the informed and 
unprejudiced mind that these new doctrines and interpretations 
were first formulated by a mind keenly and intelligently alive to 
the current difficulties and contradictions of theological thinking, 
also thoroughly convinced of the ultimate and sufficient authority 
of Scripture. Careful and conscientious study will reveal no 
trace of the " illogicality " and " irrationality " so confidently 
attributed to it by numerous critics ; nor, in view of the hideous 
absurdities and perversions in several representative systems, 
do these accusations come with any very good grace. 

Mormon theology is based flatly upon a thorough and consistent 
belief in divine revelation, and, if it is to be criticized at all, 
it may be said to be somewhat more " literal " in its interpreta- 
tion of Scripture than many authorities might consider neces- 
sary. It holds a position, however, which may be called " ra- 
tional " and " consistent " in a very superior sense, since, as 
seems evident, it holds to two reasonable principles: (i) that 
the Author of revelation was competent to express His thoughts 
in comprehensible language; (2) that revelation is intended to 
reveal, to furnish the mind with actual information on matters 
spiritual, and not to puzzle it with evident contradictions and 
manufactured " mysteries," which, although indicating nothing 
more forcibly than the essential limitations in the minds of 
theological speculators of the past, are impudently recommended 
as matters for the " exercise of faith," since so evidently baffling 
to the reason. Thus, while asserting its belief in the almighti- 
ness of God, it avoids curious questionings in regard to His 
ultimate "nature," which represent His being as hopelessly 

165 



166 THE REAL MORMONISM 

contradictory to the " unassisted reason " and, in the last analysis, 
composed of a " substance " so utterly foreign to anything evi- 
dently real to human thought, that it seems to be equivalent 
to nothingness. This system of doctrine is, therefore, both 
logical in thought and practical in applicability to life; avoiding 
the wretched refinements and speculations of all schools of tra- 
ditional scholasticism, and propounding principles capable of 
meeting the human mind on its own ground. These qualities 
inhere in no other system whatever, as is amply evidenced by 
the fact that most of the sects of Protestantism — each of them 
founded originally on the groundwork of somebody's findings and 
opinions on God, sin, etc. — are at the present day rapidly re- 
treating from the old-time theological standards and accepting 
such " infidel " hypotheses as the so-called " higher criticism " 
and " evolution theologies," along with various sentimental and 
half-fledged formulations on various bases of compromise, all of 
which are mere transitions " from bad to worse." If a system 
of theology is such in any real sense, a " God-science," it would 
not be necessary to accord a secondary consideration to " mere 
doctrines," and to make feeble and ineffective attempts to em- 
phasize " righteousness " and the various long-neglected " social 
and moral virtues." 

The fundamental tenet of Mormonism is that the system of 
doctrine and practice embodied in its theology and church or- 
ganization represents a full and complete restoration of pure, 
primitive Christianity, as preached by Christ and his apostles, 
but, supposedly lost and obscured through the general apostasy 
of all professing Christian bodies and systems throughout the 
succeeding centuries. In this position, of course, it makes no 
unfamiliar claims or charges, since accusations of " apostasy " 
and claims to " restoration " abound in Christian history. With- 
out considering all the eccentric and local movements of the first 
fifteen centuries of our era, each of which professed more or 
less definitely to be the true Christianity restored, the conditions 
are all fulfilled in the great disturbance of the sixteenth cen- 
tury, known as the Protestant " reformation." At this time, 
in the bitter denunciation of the Catholic Church, and of all 
that belongs to it, the accusation of apostasy, also the vital need 
of a " restoration " of the Gospel, were abundantly expressed. 
In opposition to the Roman claim of a centralized and per- 
manent authority, located in the Pope, the reformers emphasized 
the doctrine of the " sufficiency of Scripture," which each man 
was urged to read and digest for himself. They evidently relied 
less upon Scripture, however, than upon their own interpreta- 
tions of its teachings. Hence, they separated and quarrelled 



THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 167 

among themselves on hair-splitting points of mere metaphysics, 
and repelled all well-intentioned efforts after unity. They neg- 
lected, also, the valuable element of strong organization among 
their followers, and were not moved to attempt any such achieve- 
ment, even as a simple means of combatting the strongly-knitted 
forces of Catholicism. It may be seen, therefore, that they 
launched a regime of individualism and self-assertion, rather 
than an era of restored truth of any variety. Thus, there has 
followed, as an inevitable result, the heresy-building and sect- 
launching activities of the last four centuries, which have weak- 
ened the influence of Protestantism as a movement, and ab- 
surdly divided the forces supposedly assembled to combat evil. 
They have also acted most effectively to obscure many vital 
points of Scripture teaching, without which, as may be con- 
sidered evident, full obedience to the commands of Christ are 
difficult or impossible. 

It may be logical to hold, therefore, that the work which the 
founders of Protestantism rashly undertook still remains to be 
accomplished, and that there is still a demand for real reforma- 
tion and a genuine restoration of the Gospel — if, indeed, it be 
any longer rational to consider the Gospel as something funda- 
mental, essential and permanent, rather than a " consummation " 
of the " best efforts " of the " rationalistic " dreamers of the pres- 
ent or of the future. The discernment and statement of this fact 
by Joseph Smith, or by any other person, is not unmistakable 
evidence of evil qualities or intentions — it may even be held to 
be an evidence of clear discernment and real spiritual vitality, 
either with or without a valid call from God. The consequent 
attempt to supply the world's crying need of numerous neglected 
and dishonored truths and virtues must be judged as proper 
or abortive, solely on the basis of the principles which it em- 
bodies and the performances which it renders possible. What- 
ever one may see fit to say about the origin, character and 
motives of Joseph Smith, it cannot be denied that he deserves 
credit for accurately gauging the needs of the world, as regards 
the ethical duties recommended by Christ and so completely neg- 
lected by his professed followers, and for contriving, or pro- 
mulgating, means and methods which have succeeded, in a great 
measure, where others have failed sadly. That a " restoration " 
or " revival " of the pure, primitive Christianity is a great desid- 
eratum of our religious, moral and social life has been acknowl- 
edged by numerous representative thinkers and preachers, who 
have not hesitated to state that our past performances promise 
ill enough in the way of preparing the world for a reign of 
truth and righteousness. 



168 THE REAL MORMONISM 

The professions of Mormonism as the actual restoration of 
New Testament Christianity derive a considerable show of plausa- 
bility in the fact that, in a very real and vivid sense, it proposes 
to follow the Bible implicitly. Thus, in its primary teaching, it 
postulates the actual restoration of revelation, which is to say, 
the direct communication of the will and counsel of God to 
mankind. With very consistent adherence to many strong sug- 
gestions in Scripture, it may be credited with holding that, just 
as the person of the man Christ brought the presence and power 
of God down to this world, so the Church, founded to continue 
his work and incarnation, must perpetuate the personal presence 
and communion of God, precisely as they were enjoyed by those 
living in the days of Christ's earth life. Whether or not, as may 
be questioned by some, such an attitude be authorized or Chris- 
tianly proper, it may be held consistently that it represents a 
very normal and vital phase of religious development. Even 
in this day of " material progress " and crude intellectual reso- 
lutions of the " religious consciousness," which have already 
eliminated for many minds all ideals not " rationally consistent " 
with the hypotheses of experimental scientists, one must be 
touched often and truly by that " childlike outlook," which, with 
Abraham, looks to find God " at the door of the tent," or hopes, 
like Moses, to talk with God, " as a man speaketh unto his 
friend." There is certainly much in the New Testament that 
strongly suggests a belief in the constant direct communion of 
the believing soul and its God, as a means of individual divine 
guidance, an element sorely missed among us, also for impart- 
ing the various blessings and endowments, known as the " gifts 
of the Spirit." A perfectly restored Christianity should cer- 
tainly give some other account of these matters than to deny 
merely that they are of operative importance at the present time, 
or to assert that they were reserved solely for the " formative 
period " of the Christian era, the days of Christ's apostles, 
neither of which statements is warranted in authority, or even 
intelligent. 

This point was touched in a sermon preached by Joseph 
Smith, June n, 1843, in which he defends his claim to be the 
instrument of revelation from God in the following words: 

"Many of the sects cry out, 'Oh, I have the testimony of Jesus; I 
have the Spirit of God : but away with Joe Smith ; he says he is a prophet ; 
but there are to be no prophets or revelators in the last days.' Stop, sir ! 
The Revelator (John) says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of 
prophecy; so by your own mouth you are condemned." — History of the 
Church, Vol V ., p. 427. 

Some six months previously he had made an entry in his 
journal to the same effect, as follows: 



THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 169 

" If any person should ask me if I were a prophet, I should not deny it, 
as that would give me the lie; for, according to John, the testimony of 
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy ; therefore, if I profess to be a witness or 
teacher, and have not the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of 
Jesus, I must be a false witness ; but if I be a true teacher and witness, 
I must possess the spirit of prophecy, and that constitutes a prophet; 
and any man who says he is a teacher or preacher of righteousness, and 
denies the spirit of prophecy, is a liar, and the truth is not in him ; and by 
this key false teachers and imposters may be detected." — History of the 
Church, Vol. V . t pp. 215-216. 

About ten years previously, however, on April 13, 1833, he had 
written a letter to one Jared Carter, in which occurs the follow- 
ing explanation of the recognized limitation in respect to re- 
ceiving revelations, entailed by the constitution of the Church 
government and constitution. He says: 

"Respecting the vision you speak of we do not consider ourselves 
bound to receive any revelation from any one man or woman without his 
being legally constituted and ordained to that authority, and giving suf- 
ficient proof of it. 

" I will inform you that it is contrary to the economy of God for 
any member of the Church, or any one, to receive instructions for those 
in authority, higher than themselves ; therefore you will see the im- 
propriety of giving heed to them; but if any person have a vision or a 
visitation from a heavenly messenger, it must be for his own benefit and 
instruction; for the fundamental principles, government and doctrine of 
the Church are vested in the keys of the kingdom." — Ibid., Vol. I., p. 
338. 

As the doctrine of restored revelation is the fundamental 
teaching of Mormon theology, so also is it the sufficient ex- 
planation of the absurd and abominable persecutions visited upon 
Smith and his people, since the very beginning of their career. 
The claim that these acts of violence were originated in resist- 
ance to actual " impurities " and other forms of evil-doing are 
mere pretences, without sufficient warrant. The fact is that 
Joseph Smith, being an accredited minister or preacher of no 
sect whatever, had dared to " usurp the functions and preroga- 
tives " of the preacher class, or profession, who, in current esti- 
mation, should have been the proper channels for any further 
revelations that God might be pleased to give to the world. He 
was, in this matter, precisely what the Puritan hierarchy of New 
England denominated a " wanton gospeler," which is to say, an 
unauthorized preacher, and his influence had the same significance 
in the minds of the Protestant clergy as has an " unethical " or 
" quack " physician to the medical profession. That he claimed 
to have received revelations, in spite of the current understand- 
ing of Revelation xxii. 18, as applying to all presumed or alleged 
revelations in addition to the Scriptures of the Old and New 
Testaments, may have excited the opposition of some minds. 
The bulk of the arguments used against him, however, have been 



170 



THE REAL M0RM0NISM 



devoted to proving, by fair means or foul, that he was not at 
all the kind of person who could be considered worthy to com- 
mune with God on any terms — worse than the repentant thief 
on the cross, worse, also, than Saul on the way to Damascus. 

Although the leading examples of revelation claimed by the 
Mormons are to be found in the inspired utterances and com- 
mandments in the Book known as Doctrine and Covenants, 
promulgated by Joseph Smith, the accepted teaching is that revela- 
tion is continuous and constantly augmenting. Thus, the higher 
officers of the Church are the regular and accredited channels 
of revelations on all matters pertaining to government and faith. 
This constitutes the reality of the theocratic rule, so widely ad- 
vertised and condemned by anti-Mormon writers and agitators. 
If unfounded, however, it is merely a very devout and human 
belief that has never been notably misrequited by the accredited 
authorities of the Church. 

Such inspiration, however, by no means totals the possibilities 
of association and communication between God and man. The 
Mormons live literally, as they devoutly believe, in constant com- 
munion with God. They hold that the true believer becomes in 
a literal sense, and in this life, a " joint heir with Christ," and is 
to be endowed, therefore, with " spiritual gifts," as promised 
in the Scriptures, in addition to the continuous " testimony "of 
the truth of the Gospel, following on the " gift of the Holy 
Ghost." Indeed, if we may judge from published statements 
and from the genius of the entire system, religion is not merely 
a totality of beliefs and duties, additional to and apart from the 
affairs of every-day life, but, in a very real sense, the proper 
sum and center of life's activities. That is, at least, the design 
apparently followed in conceiving and carrying out the details of 
the wonderful organization of the Church. Thus, because re- 
ligion is properly to be regarded as life itself, we find the often- 
repeated claim that, so far as the doctrines of religion are con- 
cerned, their truth is not merely accepted " on faith," not merely 
believed, but known and understood, sure and certain. 

With Mormonism, therefore, theology is the God-science, par 
excellence, and its characteristics are thus summarized by Parley 
P.Pratt: 

" First. Theology is the science of communication, or of correspond- 
ence, between God, angels, spirits, and men, by means of visions, dreams, 
interpretations, conversations, inspirations, or the spirit of prophecy and 
revelation. 

" Second. It is the science by which worlds are organized, sustained 
and directed, and the elements controlled. 

"Third. It is the science of knowledge, and the key and power 
thereof, by which the heavens are opened, and lawful access is obtained 



THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 171 

to the treasures of wisdom and intelligence — inexhaustible, infinite, em- 
bracing- the past, the present, and the future. 

" Fourth. It is the science of life, endless and eternal, by which the 
living are changed or translated, and the dead raised. 

" Fifth. It is the science of faith, reformation, and remission of sins, 
whereby a fallen race of mortals may be justified, cleansed^ and re- 
stored to the communion and fellowship of that Holy Spirit which is the 
light of the world, and of every intelligence therein. 

"Sixth. It is the science of spiritual gifts, by which the blind see, 
the deaf hear, the lame walk, the sick are healed, and demons are ex- 
pelled from the human system. 

"Seventh. It is the science of all other sciences and useful arts, 
being, in fact, the very fountain from which they emanate. It includes 
philosophy, astronomy, history, mathematics, geography, languages, the 
science of letters, and blends the knowledge of all matters of fact, in 
every branch of art, or of research. It includes, also, all the scientific 
discoveries and inventions, agriculture, the mechanical arts, architecture, 
ship-building, the properties and applications of the mariner's compass, 
navigation, and music. All that is useful, great and good, all that is 
calculated to sustain, comfort, instruct, edify, purify, refine or exalt in- 
telligences, originated by this science, and this science alone, all other 
sciences being but branches growing out of this, the root." — Key to 
Theology, pp. 15-16. 

Elder Pratt then proceeds to justify his claim that theology- 
includes and originates all other sciences, by a series of examples 
from Scripture, showing that God originated the various arts and 
industries before man ever practiced them, and that at the be- 
ginning, at least, they resulted from man's communion with the 
Deity. 

It may be readily understood from this passage that the Gos- 
pel of the Latter-day Saints is at bottom a very typical example 
of theosophic mysticism, which is to say, a system postulating 
the essential congruity of Divine and human spirits, their proper 
constant association, and the possibility of their complete har- 
mony, present as well as ultimate. In this particular it makes a 
strong appeal to the normal religious instinct, since the mystical 
tendency is always effective in imparting a sense of reality to 
religious experience and authority. Undoubtedly, this essential 
mysticism was the secret of the wonderful growth of the church 
in the early days of its history. In the midst of the seething 
unrest in religious circles at the time, there were very many 
who passionately desired something more vital than the conven- 
tional creedalisms of the traditional sects, and whose minds 
were prepared to believe that God must speak again to show the 
true way of life. Hence, the announcement of the claim that 
he had actually spoken, to restore the Gospel and give new direc- 
tions for human guidance, was welcomed in many quarters. 
Furthermore, the Mormon insistence that the " spiritual gifts " 
mentioned in the Gospels, and in the writings of Christ's apos- 



172 THE REAL MORMONISM 

ties, are to be expected, — nay, actually exist — as a consequence 
of conforming to the requirements and ordinances of the faith, 
is another very essential point of advantage over the sectarian 
quibble that such gifts were intended only for the early days of 
Christianity. In this belief Mormonism antedated by many years 
the belief, now growing in our midst, and early emphasized by 
Edward Irving, that healing, prophecy, and other " miraculous 
powers," are the proper endowments of believers. This matter 
is well explained by Elder James E. Talmage, as follows: 

" All men who would officiate with propriety in the ordinances of the 
Gospel must be commissioned for their exalted duties by the power and 
authority of heaven. When so divinely invested, these servants of the 
Lord will not be lacking in proofs of the Master's favor; for it has 
ever been characteristic of the dealings of God with his people, to mani- 
fest his power by the bestowal of a variety of ennobling graces, which 
are properly called gifts of the Spirit. These are oft-times exhibited in 
a manner so diverse from the usual order of things as to be called 
miraculous and supernatural. . . . We may safely regard the existence 
of these spiritual powers as one of the essential characteristics of the 
true Church ; where they are not, the priesthood of God does not operate. 

"Mormon solemnly declares that the days of miracles will not pass 
from the Church, as long as there shall be a man upon earth to be saved ; 
' For,' says he, ' it is by faith that miracles are wrought : and it is by 
faith that angels appear and minister unto men ; wherefore if these things 
have ceased, wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of un- 
belief, and all is vain.' . . . 

" The gifts here spoken of are essentially endowments of power and 
authority, through which the purposes of God are accomplished, some- 
times with accompanying conditions that appear to be supernatural. By 
such the sick may be healed, malignant influences overcome, spirits of 
darkness subdued, the Saints, humble and weak, may proclaim their tes- 
timonies and otherwise utter praises unto God in new and strange 
tongues, and others may interpret these words ; the feeble human intel- 
lect may be invigorated by the heavenly touch of spiritual vision and 
blessed dreams, to see and comprehend things ordinarily withheld from 
mortal senses ; direct communication with the fountain of all wisdom 
may be established, and the revelations of the Divine will may be ob- 
tained. . . . 

"The Latter-day Saints claim to possess within the Church all the 
sign-gifts promised as the heritage of the believer. They point to the 
unimpeached testimonies of thousands who have been blessed with direct 
and personal manifestations of heavenly power ; to the once blind, and 
dumb, halt, and weak in body, who have been freed from their infirmities 
through their faith and by the ministrations of the priesthood ; to a mul- 
titude who have voiced their testimony in tongues with which they were 
naturally unfamiliar; or who have demonstrated their possession of the 
gift by a phenomenal mastery of foreign languages, when such was nec- 
essary to the discharge of their duties as preachers of the word of God ; 
to many who have enjoyed communion with heavenly beings; to others 
who have prophesied in words that have found their speedy vindication 
in literal fulfillment; and to the Church itself, whose growth has been 
guided by the voice of its Divine Leader, made known through the gift 
of revelation."— The Articles of Faith, pp. 219^-221, 236-237. 



THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 173 

Writing to a very similar purpose, Brigham H. Roberts, the 
voluminous historian and apologist of Mormonism, has the fol- 
lowing : 

"Protestant writers insist that the age of miracles closed with the 
fourth or fifth century, and that after that the extraordinary gifts of the 
Holy Ghost must not be looked for. Catholic writers, on the other 
hand, insist that the power to perform miracles has always continued in 
the Church. . . . Nor is there anything in the Scriptures or in reason 
that would lead one to believe that they were to be discontinued. Still 
this plea is made by modern Christians — - explaining the absence of these 
spiritual powers among them — that the extraordinary gifts of the Holy 
Ghost were only intended to accompany the proclamation of the Gospel 
during the first few centuries, until the church was able to make its way 
without them, and then they were to be done away. It is sufficient to 
remark upon this that it is assumption pure and simple, and stands with- 
out warrant either of scripture or right reason ; and proves that men had 
so far changed the religion of Jesus Christ that it became a form of 
godliness without the power thereof."— Outlines of Ecclesiastical His- 
tory, Part II. pp. 161-162. 

It must be evident, therefore, that Mormonism has an immense 
advantage over its traditional opponents in its insistence that the 
statments of Scripture are to be literally received, also that there 
are no time limits to God's promises. Such an insistence must 
make a strong appeal, particularly to simple minds — these are 
often the normal minds — and is altogether more consistent. Its 
teachings, accordingly, tolerate no evasions based on " typical," 
" symbolical," or " figurative " wrestings of passages " hard " 
even for the " faith of believers," but insists on such interpre- 
tations as the language of Scripture suggests. Of course, this 
method has drawn the criticism of " dead literalism," the " letter 
that killeth," " sodden materialism," etc., from the advocates of 
systems open to even graver characterizations. If, however, the 
acceptance of Scripture as it stands argues to a reductio ad 
absurdum, it is well to understand that fact, and encouraging to 
learn it from the statements of alleged " believers." 

It is distinctly unprofitable, however, to dwell upon criticisms, 
originated primarily as mere bickerings aimed at the efforts of a 
" non-professional theologian," or, yet, to enlarge upon the su- 
perior claims, as alleged, of other systems, whose assumptions, 
in the last analysis, are unintelligible, even to the learned. Nor 
would any informed mind suspect undue prejudice at the basis 
of the statement that the " subtleties " of traditional theology 
are derived far more directly from the theories of speculative 
metaphysicians than from the statements of Scripture, or any of 
the reported words of Christ or his apostles. As a matter of 
fact, it is no more than logical that a system of religious teachings 
" hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed unto babes " 
(in learning), also so clear and simple that "a wayfaring man, 



174 THE REAL MORMONISM 

though uninstructed, should not err therein," should be pre- 
sented in terms that would admit of literal acceptation. Even 
the attempt, found in all traditional systems of theology, to read 
immense metaphysical refinements into the Epistles of Paul is 
not justified by the results. As a matter of fact, the plain and 
simple statements of Scripture, addressed in the first instance to 
simple and unlearned people, outlining the duties of man to God 
and to his neighbor, also setting forth the merciful provisions of 
God for the benefit of man, have been lost to sight, contemptu- 
ously neglected, and actually rendered largely inoperative, by 
the perverse habit of placing the greater emphasis upon mere 
speculative intellectualisms, which have been obtruded as the real 
objects of faith. The only antidote for this intellectual fetichism 
is to accept literally, or else to reject as unintelligible the prin- 
ciples upon which the Gospel is supposedly based. It is a desir- 
able achievement, indeed, to rescue religious thought from the 
toils of so-called philosophy, which, starting out to explain things 
as they are, has always ended by inventing even more puzzling 
and unintelligible situations, which have been " improved " only 
by substituting others of precisely similar character. It is 
scarcely remarkable, therefore, that we hear the familiar Protes- 
tant statement of the present day that " theology is not reli- 
gion," and witness frantic and largely ineffective attempts to 
achieve a practical moral and social reform in the sectarian pre- 
sentation of Christianity. The attitude of Mormonism on this 
matter is well set forth in the following words of Judge A. B. 
Carlton, a close observer of this system and its adherents: 

" One trouble about the Mormons is that they are too primitive. 
They have gone back to the infancy of the Christian faith and organiza- 
tion, and fanatically hold on to a literal interpretation of what the Chris- 
tians generally treat as ' figurative,' or, as having gone into ' innocuous 
desuetude.' . . . With each remove from the Catholic Church — first, 
'the Reformation' — and then the successive branches, off-shoots, 
schisms, and sects, the zealous propagandist of each new faith devoutly 
maintains that there is nothing new about it — it is only a restoration 
of primitive Christianity. So the Mormons claim that they have the 
genuine article of religion; that they are the true Church of Jesus 
Christ, and are the Saints in these latter days." — Wonderlands of the 
Wild West, p. 122. 

This much-condemned " literalism " involves, apparently, the 
line of thinking usually characterized as " materialism," which, 
by habitual connotation, involves all that is the reverse of " spir- 
itual," and, as some pretend to argue, also the notion that for 
God we must substitute some sort of blind and impersonal 
" force " or " law." The truth is otherwise, however, even upon 
the terms of speculative philosophy, since the assumption that all 
reality is to be understood by the mind as analogous to the order 



THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 175 

of experiences derived from the world of " material existence " 
may be credited as a distinct and laudable attempt to render 
things "unseen and eternal" in some sense intelligible. This 
object is perfectly apparent in the following statement of Joseph 
Smith : 

"It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance. There is no 
such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more 
fine and pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes. We cannot see 
it ; but when our bodies are purified, we shall see that it is all matter." — 
JDoctrine and Covenants, cxxxi. 6-8. 

This teaching is explained by Prof. John A. Widtsoe, a man of 
no mean learning, in the following words : 

" Mormonism has frequently been charged with accepting the doctrine 
of materialism. In one sense, the followers of Joseph Smith plead yes 
to this charge. In Mormon theology there is no place for imma- 
terialism; i.e. for a God, spirits and angels that are not material. 
Spirit is only a refined form of matter. It is beyond the mind of man to 
conceive of an immaterial thing. On the other hand, Joseph Smith 
did not teach that the kind of tangible matter, which impresses our 
mental senses, is the kind of matter which is associated with heavenly 
beings. The distinction between the matter known to man and the 
spirit matter is very great ; but no greater than is the difference between 
the matter of the known elements and that of the universal ether which 
forms one of the accepted dogmas of science." — Joseph Smith as Scien- 
tist, p. 12-13. 

Mormon "materialism" has also been extensively explained 
and defended by Orson Pratt in his well-known work, The Ab- 
surdities of Immaterialism. Of course, the whole matter has 
been ridiculed and travestied by anti-Mormon writers, who have 
effectually revealed their own ignorance in such statements as 
that Smith represented God as a man " grossly material in char- 
acter," and that the kingdom of heaven is understood to be made 
of earth, stones, coal, and still other varieties of substance of 
even lesser dignity and beauty. None of these critics seem able 
to apprehend the philosophical bearings of the matter, which 
argue to conclusions far different in effect. According to the 
data of the religious consciousness, the things of God are realities 
in a preeminent sense. According to life experience, all reali- 
ties are to be variously perceived, or " sensed " : in other words, 
"matter is the constant basis (or possibility) of perceptive ex- 
perience." Consequently, spiritual things, being also perceptible, 
" when our bodies are purified " — since " spiritual things are 
spiritually discerned," however we may understand this state- 
ment — are in this sense directly analogous to things understood 
under the term " material." Nor, in the last analysis, is the 
mind capable of comprehending any other alternative, however 
well reasoned it may appear in the writings of speculative 
thinkers. Even though the mind be so biassed that the idea of 



176 THE REAL MORMONISM 

God is inadmissible, we find as a very general rule that the idea 
thus rejected is that of a perfectly personal and anthropomorphic 
First Cause which experimental science is supposed to have ruled 
out of the universe, or relegated to the domains of the hope- 
lessly indefinite and unknowable. And this attitude is assumed, 
not because the idea of God is unintelligible, but rather because, 
as supposed, there is no evidence that it corresponds to a reality. 
In the famous phrase, so often quoted from the astronomer 
Laplace, " The telescope sweeps the heavens without finding 
God " : therefore, as some conclude, He is not there. The mo- 
ment, however, that we admit the existence of a God, in any 
sense " personal/' that moment we visualize a being in human 
form, visible to the eyes, audible to the ears, and, supposedly, 
tangible also. 

Nor is the disagreement on this point other than a merely 
verbal difference. It is a controversy over words and terms, 
rather than over ideas. It involves an excellent example of 
" distinction without difference." Even in the most " spiritual " 
speculations about the divine nature, there is an involved recog- 
nition of the fact that " spirit," so-called, and " matter," so- 
called, are to be dealt with in the same terms. Thus, in the 
famous Athanasian controversy, touching the divine dignities of 
Christ, the final issue with the Arians reached the point of op- 
posing the statement that He is " of the same substance with the 
Father," rather than "of like substance" merely, in Greek 
phrase, homo-ousia against homoi-ousia. Nor did the " spirit- 
ual substances " herein discriminated correspond to any of the 
" four varieties of negation," mentioned by the German philoso- 
pher Hegel. 

The point of view from which the " materialistic " conception 
of the universe is attacked is evidently founded in a very preva- 
lent confusion between findings based on an "objective" con- 
sideration of the being and attributes of God and spirit, as in the 
Athanasian controversy, and the purely " subjective " considera- 
tions treated by others, in the attempt to systematize the uni- 
verse of thought-experience. Thus, as given in the famous for- 
mulations of Descartes, we find " two substances," discriminated 
by their " attributes," which are " extension and thought." 
Matter, we are told, is " extended, but has no thought " ; whereas 
spirit has " thought, but no extension." However, according to 
Descartes, these " two substances " find their sole point of union 
in the organ of the brain known to anatomists as the " pineal 
gland " ; here the " unextended " meets the " extended." Now, 
that which such philosophers describe as " spirit " is not the 
same thing as appears in theological literature. All that Des- 



THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 177 

cartes accomplished, in effect, was to discriminate the experi- 
ences ("attributes") of subjective and objective, as may be 
understood by an example. Thus, in deep thought or medita- 
tion, a man knows himself subjectively, as, in the words of Prof. 
William James, a " stream of consciousness." When, however, 
he turns to other activities than those of mere thinking, he 
recognizes that he is also a something extended in space, or 
" extension," which is not involved in " thought." Nor does 
Spinoza, in resolving the " two substances " into " two attri- 
butes " of the one " substance absolutely infinite," which he calls 
" God," accomplish any other intelligible result. He separates 
the subjective and the objective. Just as a man thinks, so also 
God thinks — howbeit " the thought of God differs from the 
thought of man as the Dog-star from the dog." Just as a man 
knows himself as existing in a limited " extension," so God 
knows himself as existing in all extended space. This expresses 
Spinoza's solution of the universe. 

Other thinkers attempting similarly to wrestle with the situa- 
tion have postulated a universe composed entirely of " spirit," 
in which all things material are but the effects of its proper 
activity. Thus, we have the idealism of Bishop Berkeley and 
others, which postulates essential " spirit," whose attribute is 
"to perceive" (percipere), and its antithesis, "matter," whose 
sole attribute is "to be perceived" (percipi), and which ceases 
to exist when out of thought. The uniformity of experiences 
were explained, of course, by the influence of the divine mind 
upon the human; thus, apparently, constituting "thought" the 
constant and eternal medium of creation. From the general 
tendencies embodied in Berkeley's system arose the " absolute 
idealism," or " solipsism," of Fichte and others, whose logic 
argues the complete identity of all minds with the One Self as 
effectively as the Adwaita philosophies of India. While these 
and similar conclusions seem to follow on the logic of very many 
writers — and by "proper handling," indeed, nearly any con- 
clusion may be reached by a well-conceived line of reasoning — 
the critic of the history of thought is able to discern in the 
tendency toward " idealism " a series of intellectual inventions 
or contrivances to enable avoidance of the perfectly evident con- 
clusion that to call spirit " immaterial " involves for the average 
mind that we call it nothingness. Nor is there any real avenue 
of escape from the dilemma, but to acknowledge, in the words 
above quoted, that " all spirit — i.e. the substance of which 
■ spiritual ' beings consist — is matter, but it is more fine and 
pure." To say that matter exists only as it is " perceived," or 
thought, in the mind of God and of man is merely a verbal sub- 



178 THE REAL MORMONISM 

terfuge, based upon the assumption that, because " thought (or 
thinking) is immaterial " — and, like electricity, magnetism and 
gravity, having no " consistency," such as is found in stone, 
metal, etc. — therefore all that exists for it and in it must be, in 
essence, some kind of nothingness, known under another name. 
Nor could we sharply discriminate the concept of an "imma- 
terial human spirit " from the karma of Buddhism — " all that 
total of a soul, which is the things it did, the thought it had, the 
' Self ' " — a mere vortex, echo, or numerically conceivable 
valency, capable of producing activity in favorable concrete con- 
ditions; just as a bell of given tone answers the vibrations of 
another of the same tone, thus reproducing and continuing the 
activities of the first bell. 

The real situation involved in the type of " materialism " 
under discussion is to provide an intelligible answer to the very 
reasonable question as to the real constitution of the human spirit, 
when disembodied at death, and supposedly residing in the 
" world of spirits," also to justify to the thinking mind the as- 
sertion that God is personal, and not a mere central " force or 
law," acting upon the material universe. The traditional an- 
tithesis between " matter " and " spirit," except in the sense of 
"object" and "subject," "extension" and "thought," is really 
meaningless. Nor has it a direct bearing on the religious con- 
sciousness, as exalting the idea of God above the comprehension 
of the human mind. The notion of immaterial " spirit " merely 
confuses the devout mind, while attracting — and, in a great 
measure, justifying — the ridicule of the skeptic. The scholastic 
teaching about God, calling Him " formless, passionless and 
immaterial " — for the actual concepts of no Christian people cor- 
respond to any such notion, even could it be " visualized " — a 
" being having his centre nowhere and his circumference every- 
where," is merely a philosophical whimsey, unwarranted in 
sound reason, devoid of authority in Scripture, and of no reli- 
gious significance. The God revealed in Scripture, whatever more 
may be said of His being, powers or attributes, is personal and 
anthropomorphic, and thus He remains for the religious con- 
sciousness to this very day,—" I hope to see my Pilot face to 
face, when I have crossed the bar" — in spite of the impudent 
" subtleties " propounded by theological dreamers, which amount, 
in reality, to formal atheism. Such a conclusion was ably as- 
serted by Orson Pratt, in the following passage: 

"There are two classes of atheists in the world. One class denies 
the existence of God in the most positive language; the other denies his 
existence in duration or space. One says ' There is no God ' ; the other 
says ' God is not here or there, any more than he exists now and then* 
The infidel says ' God does not exist anywhere.' The immaterialist 



THE THEOLOGY OF MORMONISM 179 

says ' He exists nowhere.' The infidel says ' There is no such substance 
as God.' The immaterialist says ' There is such a substance as God, 
but it is without parts/ The atheist says ' There is no such substance as 
spirit.' The immaterialist says ' A spirit, though he lives and acts, occu- 
pies no room, and fills no space in the same way and in the same man- 
ner as matter, not even so much as the minutest grain of sand.' The 
atheist does not hide his infidelity; but the immaterialist, whose de- 
clared belief amounts to the same thing as the atheist's, endeavors to 
hide his infidelity under the shallow covering of a few words. . . . The 
immaterialist is a religious atheist; he only differs from the other class 
of atheists by clothing an indivisible, unextended nothing with the powers 
of a God. One class believes in no God; the other believes that Noth- 
ing is God and worships it as such." — Absurdities of Immaterialism, 
p. II. 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE MORMON DOCTRINE OF GOD 

The "materialistic" conception of God, which is to say the 
conception that is humanly intelligible, is thus explained in the 
words of Parley P. Pratt: 

"The idea of a God without 'body, parts or passions' is not more 
absurd or inconsistent than that modern popular doctrine, that all things 
were created from nonentity, or, in other words, that something origi- 
nated from nothing. 

" It is a self-evident truth, which will not admit of argument, that 
nothing remains nothing. Nonentity is the negative of all existence. 
. This negative possesses no property or element upon which the energies 
of creative power can operate. 

"To speak more philosophically, all the elements are spiritual, all are 
physical, all are material, tangible realities. Spirit is matter, and mat- 
ter is full of spirit. Because all things which do exist are eternal reali- 
ties, in their elementary existence. ... In the capacity of mortals, 
however, some of the elements are tangible, or visible, and others in- 
visible. Those which are tangible to our senses, we call physical; those 
which are more subtle and refined, we call spiritual." — Key to Theology, 
PP. 49-51 ; 43-45. 

On the basis of this characteristic " literalism," Mormon 
writers and teachers insist that the Biblical mentions of hands, 
face, feet, arms, heart, and other physical parts, in reference to 
God, are to be understood literally, although " figurative " and 
" symbolical " uses of these words are often found ; furthermore, 
that the primeval suggestion, " Let us make man in our image," 
was no rhetorical figure. Nor is there any advantage to be 
found in criticizing and characterizing this teaching, as some have 
done, — so long, at least, as the Bible remains the recognized 
standard of authority — since the opposing concept is entirely 
extra-Biblical. God is represented as appearing in human form 
to Adam, Abraham, and other patriarchs. Moses, desiring to 
see His " glory," is warned that he cannot see His face, but that, 
standing " in a clift of the rock," God would cover him with His 
hand, while He passed by, allowing him to see only His " back 
parts." (Exod. xxxiii. 18-23.) Stephen, the martyr, declared 
that he had a vision of the " Son of man standing on the right 

180 



THE MORMON DOCTRINE OF GOD 181 

hand of God" (Acts vii. 55). Similarly, all other mentions of 
God, by prophets, by Christ himself, and by his apostles, make 
implicit references to an anthropomorphic God. These facts 
should be sufficient for any person professing to believe in the 
actual authority of the Bible; but too many of these people have 
evidently attempted to " improve " Scriptural doctrines and 
statements from the rich resources of their own minds. What 
could God reveal to them? 

Much of the logical development of Scripture teachings about 
God by Mormon writers would be characterized, probably, by 
the advocates of other systems as " crude " and " childish," but, 
in this matter, as cannot be too emphatically insisted, no state- 
ment whatever can safely claim exemption from such charges. 
There is certainly nothing of contrary description to be found 
in the wordy speculations of metaphysical theorizers, also, little 
or nothing that can be credited with permanent value to the 
world of living humanity. The crudest concept that demon- 
strates consistency with authority, and expresses faith in its 
finality, is preferable to much else that is based upon some man's 
intellectual ingenuity, rather than upon consistency with the 
terms used in Scriptures believed to be " given by inspiration of 
God." For example, by what Scriptural argument could one 
oppose the following statement given by Joseph Smith? 

" The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's ; the 
Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is 
a personage of Spirit." — Doctrine and Covenants, cxxx. 22. 

This statement is explained and defended by Mormon apolo- 
gists by an analysis of Scripture passages. Thus, Christ, after 
his resurrection, had a body of flesh and bones, which ascended 
also into heaven — " for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye 
see me have" (Luke xxiv. 39). So also, they assert, the same 
must be said of God the Father, since, in the words of the 
Epistle to the Hebrews, Christ is called the " express image of 
his person " (Heb. i. 3), indicating the idea that " his person" is 
visible and tangible, after the manner of a body of " flesh and 
bones." Nor can it be said in criticism of this teaching that it is 
either " crude," " materialistic," or " literalistic," because it is 
precisely the logical development of the doctrine explicitly stated 
by all the great confessions of faith. Thus in the Articles of 
Faith of the Church of England, the following is to be found : 
"The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlast- 
ing of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with 
the Father, took Man's nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, of 
her substance : so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, 
the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Person, never 
to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very Man." — 
Article II. 



182 THE REAL MORMONISM 

" Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, 
with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of 
Man's nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, 
until he return to judge all Men at the last day." — Article IV. 

The Westminster Confession expresses the same teaching in 
perfectly similar terms. Thus : 

"The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, being very and 
eternal God, of one substance, and equal with the Father, did, when 
the fullness of time was come, take upon him man's nature, with all 
the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without 
sin: being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of 
the Virgin Mary, of her substance. So that two whole, perfect, and 
distinct natures, _ the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably 
joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or 
confusion. Which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, 
the only Mediator between God and man." — Chapter VIII, Section ii. 

"On the third day he arose from the dead, with the same body in 
which he suffered; with which also he ascended into heaven, and 
there sitteth at the right hand of his Father, making intercession; and 
shall return to judge men and angels, at the end of the world." — 
Chapter VIII, Section iv. 

Answering the familiar caviling criticism that the Mormon 
conception of God postulates only a " very large and powerful 
man " — for so certain writers have chosen to travesty the real 
statement — B. H. Roberts speaks as follows: 

" Mark what is said here of Jesus. You say that ' the Godhead 
and manhood' in Jesus 'were joined together in one person,' that is, 
his spirit and his body are united, never to be severed or disunited. 
Now I put to you this question : Is the Lord Jesus Christ God ? Yes, 
you must answer. Then is not God an exalted man according to 
your creed? . . . According to this statement of the matter, Jesus has 
not been dissolved into some spiritual, immaterial essence, and widely 
diffused throughout the universe as some spiritual presence. No; he 
is a substantial, resurrected personage, a united spirit and body; . . . 
' never to be divided.' . . . This, of course, scarcely meets the descrip- 
tion of the first paragraph of the creed used here, where God is de- 
clared to be not matter, that is 'without body, parts or passions.' . . . 
It is enough that I call your attention to the fact that the second part 
of your creed leads you closely to the 'Mormon' doctrine that God is 
an exalted, perfected man, since Jesus, according to your creed, is 
God, and yet a resurrected man sitting in heaven until his return to 
judge all men at the last day. 

"And now as to there being more Gods than one. We believe 
the Scripture which says that Jesus was the brightness of God's glory, 
'and the express image of his person' (Heb. i, 3). And as we know 
what kind of a person the Christ is, who ' possessed all the fullness of 
the Godhead bodily'; and who, when he declared that all power in 
heaven and in earth had been given unto him, and he was in the act 
of sending his disciples into all the world to teach and baptize in the 
authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — was a resurrected, 
immortal man, of spirit, flesh and bone. And since, I say, the scripture 
teaches that the Son was the express image of the Father's person, 
we conclude that the Father must be a personage of spirit, flesh and 
bone, just as the Son, Jesus, is. Indeed your Athanasian creed says 



THE MORMON DOCTRINE OF GOD 183 

'that such as the Father is, such is the Son'; and, of course, it follows 
that, such as the Son is, such is the Father; that is, the Father is a 
personage of spirit, flesh and bone, united in one person, 'very God 
and very man,' just as Jesus is." — Answer to the Ministerial Associa- 
tion Review, pp. 16-17. 

The foregoing explanations and parallels seem to bring us 
logically to the discussion of some other points of Mormon 
teaching, which, although very widely quoted, are very imper- 
fectly understood by the average critic of the system. These 
points are involved in the familiar quotations from the sermons 
of Joseph Smith, which are evidently intended to set forth (1) 
the essential and eternal deity of Christ, and (2) the proper 
divine heritage of mankind. The equality of Christ with God 
the Father, and the various authoritative passages evidently set- 
ting forth correspondences in their respective persons and char- 
acters, have evidently appealed strongly to the imagination of 
the Prophet, who does not hesitate to postulate a "human ele- 
ment " in the Supreme Being, as well as an essential divine 
element in the human. It is difficult sometimes to discern 
whether the Prophet is speaking of God the Father, or of Christ, 
but, recognizing the deity of the latter, such discrimination is 
often not important. The following passage, bold in its state- 
ments, evidently refers primarily to Christ, who is called, there- 
fore, " the Great God who holds this world in its orbit " : 

" God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and 
sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the 
vail was rent to-day, and the Great God who holds this world in its 
orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to 
make himself visible, — I say, if you were to see him to-day, you would 
see him like a man in form — like yourselves in all the person, image, 
and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, 
image, and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, 
talked, and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with 
another." — Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel, p. 190. 

The following passage, quoted from an evidently fragmentary 
discourse by Joseph Smith, presents the doctrine of God's body 
in another aspect, with a strong suggestion of speculation of 
higher and hidden mysteries: 

"As the Father hath power in Himself, so hath the Son power in 
Himself, to lay down His life and take it again, so He has a body of 
His own. The Son doeth what He hath seen the Father do: then the 
Father hath some day laid down His life and taken it again; so He 
has a body of His own; each one will be in His own body; and yet 
the sectarian world believe the body of the Son is identical with the 
Father's." — History of the Church, Vol. V ., p. 426. 

Both these passages suggest an idea, more definitely ex- 
pressed by some other writers, that the drama of redemption, as 
carried out in this world, is a necessary and eternally significant 



184 THE REAL MORMONISM 

procedure, which has been duplicated in other worlds and uni- 
verses from eternity, and always involving that a divine person- 
age should assume the full nature of man, should lay down his 
life and take it again, and, thereby, provide a means by which 
the souls of all true believers should be exalted to become " par- 
takers in the divine nature" (II Peter i, 4). Thus, in the same 
discourse, Joseph Smith speaks further, as follows: 

"The Scriptures say that there are Gods many and Lords many, 
but to us there is but one living and true God, and the heaven of 
heavens could not contain Him; for He took the liberty to go into 
other heavens. . . . 

" Peter and Stephen testify that they saw the Son of Man standing 
on the right hand of God. Any person that had seen the heavens 
opened knows that there are three personages in the heavens who 
hold the keys of power, and one presides over all. ... 

" Gods have an ascendency over the angels, who are ministering 
servants. In the resurrection, some are raised to be angels; others 
are raised to become Gods." — Ibid. pp. 426-427. 

Immediately following the passage just quoted, we find the 
statement, " These things are revealed in the most holy place in 
a Temple prepared for that purpose." Also, some four years 
previously, while confined in Liberty jail, Clay county, Missouri, 
he had written as follows : 

" God shall give unto you (the saints) knowledge by his Holy Spirit, 
yea by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been 
revealed since the world was until now; which our forefathers have 
waited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, 
which their minds were pointed to, by the angels, as held in reserve 
for the fulness of their glory: a time to come in which nothing shall 
be withheld, whether there be one God or many Gods, they shall be 
manifest; all thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall 
be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for 
the gospel of Jesus Christ . . . according to that which was ordained 
in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other Gods, be- 
fore this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the 
end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence, 
and into his immortal rest." — Doctrine and Covenants, cxxi. 26-29, 32. 

It is noticeable that, while emphasizing in all these passages, 
the teachings of the " humanity of God " and the divinity of 
man, the Prophet expressly declares his belief in the " one living 
and true God " and the " Eternal God of all other Gods." 
Whether we understand that the word " Gods " refers some- 
times to an order of supernal beings, not included in the God- 
head nor classed as angels, or whether we understand it as con- 
fined to a designation of the " spirits of just men made perfect," 
it is equally certain that we have good scriptural authority for 
the usage. Nor does the presence of this word in the teachings 
of Joseph Smith indicate that he held to a belief in " polytheism," 
or the plurality of gods, either as an actuality or a possibility, 



THE MORMON DOCTRINE OF GOD 185 

any further than must any careful student of the text of Scrip- 
ture, who is determined to interpret faithfully the expressions 
which it evidently contains. It is probable, however, that he 
understood this word to indicate preeminently the proper dig- 
nity of the blessed dead, as will be explained in our discussion 
of the " Celestial glory." According to the suggestions involved 
in his utterances on this point, one might be led to suppose that 
the exalted and glorified saints of other worlds than ours, or, 
at least, of ages long past, already exist in the Celestial King- 
dom among those whom, in Scriptural phrase, it is proper to term 
" gods." 

In this connection we may understand somewhat the meaning 
intended to be expressed in Lorenzo Snow's famous couplet on 
God and man, which has been widely quoted as the authoritative 
statement of the Mormon doctrine of the Deity. Elder Snow 
thus explains its origin: 

" Early in the spring of 1840, ... I was at the house of Elder H. G. 
Sherwood; he was endeavoring to explain the parable of our Savior, 
when speaking of the husbandman who hired servants and sent them 
forth at different hours of the day to labor in his vineyard. 

"While attentively listening to his explanation, the Spirit of the 
Lord rested mightily upon me — 'the eyes of my understanding were 
opened, and I saw as clear as the sun at noonday, with wonder and 
astonishment, the pathway of God and man. I formed the following 
couplet which expresses the revelation, as it was shown me, and ex- 
plains Father Smith's dark saying to me at the blessing meeting in the 
Kirtland Temple, prior to my baptism, as previously mentioned in my 
first interview with the Patriarch: 

' As man now is, God once was ; 
As God now is, man may be.' " 
— Autobiography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow (by Eliza R. 
Snow), p. 46. 

Although Elder Snow esteemed this conception very highly, 
and along with very many others of his Church, seems to have 
accepted it as the truth of the matter in some very vital sense, it 
is not, as is usually represented, an authoritative utterance of 
Mormon teaching. Like the foregoing quotation from Joseph 
Smith's discourse, it evidently sets forth the idea of the neces- 
sary incarnation of God and the consequent exaltation of man, 
and may be held to refer primarily to Christ. The participation 
of exalted humanity in the divine nature is thus set forth by 
Smith in the same discourse as previously quoted: 

"The teachers of the day say that the Father is God, the Son is 
God, and the Holy Ghost is God, and they are all in one body and one 
God. Jesus prayed that those that the Father had given him out of 
the world might be made one in them, as they were one; (one in 
spirit, in mind, in purpose)."— History of the Church, Vol. V ., p. 426. 

The bridge across the gulf separating the human and divine, 



186 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the finite and the infinite, is found in the functions and activities 
of the Holy Spirit, and this, also, with stricter scriptural con- 
sistency than is observed in some other systems of theology. 
Thus, while in most traditional systems the Holy Spirit is repre- 
sented as a definite and personal entity, and a proper object of 
worship, along with the Father and the Son, with whom He is 
mystically identified, the teachings of Joseph Smith rather em- 
phasize His activities in the work of redemption; in a very real 
sense seemingly making Him appear preeminently as the medium 
and evidence of God's creative and redemptive activities. All 
this is perfectly scriptural, since, in whatever actual or mystical 
manner we may conceive that the Holy Spirit is properly per- 
sonal, it is evident that His significance to the life of mankind 
is rather that of an emanation of God's power, life and activity. 
Thus, while called in the Greek original by a term properly 
translatable as the " Holy Breath," which is to say, perhaps, the 
Divine Life or Presence, He is represented as " promised," 
"sent," " given," ^ "received," "quenched," "dwelling in" 
human lives, " filling " the souls of men ; also, " proceeding," 
etc., but always and primarily as an active presence, only once 
(at the baptism of Christ) represented as visible. It is thus 
possible to hold that, although, perhaps, possessing a proper 
personal life in Himself, the Holy Spirit is preeminently the 
community of " spirit, mind, purpose," etc., between the Father 
and the Son, to be shared also by exalted and believing human- 
ity. We may thus understand why the sin of " blasphemy 
against the Holy Spirit" is the supreme offense against God, 
being the act of rejecting Him, vitally and evidently present, as 
a factor in the life of the individual man, not merely as a dis- 
tant and unknown Creator and Governor of the universe. This 
immediate and immanent presence and activity of the Divine 
Life, which is called the Holy Spirit, also, as set forth in Scrip- 
ture, determines the individual man as a partaker in the divine 
nature, because the unity with God's life which its activity be- 
gets is of the same character and description as the unity among 
the Persons of the Godhead. (John xvii. 21.) The description 
of the Divine Nature given by Joseph Smith, and his immediate 
disciples is, if nothing more, according to the claims of his fol- 
lowers, certainly a careful and faithful rendering of apparent 
Scriptural meanings. 

The following passage from the Lectures on Faith, regularly 
included in the same volume with the Doctrine and Covenants, 
sets forth a view of the function and significance of the Holy 
Spirit very closely in accord with that just discussed. Thus, 
with apparent contradiction, the writer states in the first sen- 



THE MORMON DOCTRINE OF GOD 187 

tence that " two personages " only " constitute " the Godhead, 
but, developing the theme, he indicates that the unity of these 
two personages consists in the common possession of the " same 
mind," and that this mind is the Holy Spirit. He then proceeds 
to state that " these three " constitute the Godhead. The recon- 
ciliation lies in the fact that, in the first instance he is speaking 
of the functions and significance of the Spirit, in which He does 
not appear as primarily of personal significance, and that, in the 
second instance, he recognizes that this mystical element of the 
Godhead is really and properly personal. Thus: 

"There are two personages who constitute the great, matchless, 
governing, and supreme power over all things, by whom all things 
were created and made, that are created and made, whether visible or 
invisible, whether in heaven, on earth, or in the earth, under the 
earth, or throughout the immensity of space. They are the Father 
and the Son — the Father being a personage of spirit, glory, and 
power, possessing all perfection and fullness, the Son, who was in the 
bosom of the Father, a personage of tabernacle, made or fashioned 
like unto man, or being in the form and likeness of man, or rather 
man was formed after his likeness and in his image; he is also the 
express image and likeness of the personage of the Father, possessing 
all the fullness of the Father, or the same fullness with the Father; 
being begotten of him, and ordained from before the foundation of 
the world to be a propitiation for the sins of all those who should be- 
lieve on his name, and is called the Son because of the flesh. . . . And 
he being the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, 
and having overcome, received a fullness of the glory of the Father, 
possessing the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy 
Spirit, that bears record of the Father and the 'Son, and these three 
are one; or, in other words, these three constitute the great, matchless, 
governing and supreme, power over all things; by whom all things 
were created and made that were created and made, and these three 
constitute the Godhead, and are one; the Father and the Son pos- 
sessing the same mind, the same wisdom, glory, power, and fullness — 
filling all in all; the Son being filled with the fullness of the mind, 
glory, and power; or, in other words, the spirit, glory, and 
power, of the Father, possessing all knowledge and glory, and 
the same kingdom, sitting at the right hand of power, in the ex- 
press image and likeness of the Father, mediator for man, being filled 
with the fullness of the mind of the Father; or, in other words, the 
Spirit of the Father, which Spirit is shed forth upon all who believe 
on his name and keep his commandments ; and all those who keep his 
commandments shall grow up from grace to grace, and become heirs 
of the heavenly kingdom, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ; pos- 
sessing the same mind, being transformed into the same image or like- 
ness, even the express image of him who fills all in all; being filled 
with the fullness of his glory, and become one in him, even as the 
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one." — Lectures on Faith, V. {Doc- 
trine and Covenants, pp. 54-55). 

As may be seen in this quotation, the doctrine of the Godhead, 
as presented in Mormon theology, differs in little from the gen- 
eral lines of belief held to be orthodox, except in the fact that 



i88 THE REAL MORMONISM 

it carefully avoids the evident contradiction involved in the as- 
sumption of a God " without body, parts or passions," in imme- 
diate coordination with the teaching that one " person " of the 
Godhead possesses a " body, with flesh, bones, and all things 
appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he 
ascended into heaven," and whose Godhead and manhood are 
" never to be divided." Instead of the utterly baffling, and 
really meaningless, formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity, as 
found, for example, in the Athanasian Creed, we find here an 
intelligible effort to make the essential truths of that doctrine 
clear to the human mind — and this should be the function of a 
real revelation — by postulating an identity of mind and spirit, 
and the common possession of the " same fullness," as between 
two personages, who are not to be " confounded." It may be 
said, also, that it demonstrates some sort of approach to a higher 
authority in the matter in the fact that it attempts, evidently, to 
further clarify the situation by asserting that the same commu- 
nity of spirit, life, and mind, is to be possessed by true " believ- 
ers " in common with the persons of the Godhead, as constitutes 
the unity of the Godhead; and this is the Scriptural position in 
the matter. The Biblical authorities for the doctrine are to be 
found particularly in John xvii. 20-21, Rom. viii. 29, I Cor. xv. 
49, II Cor. iii. 18, etc. It seems preferable, indeed, to appeal 
to the statements of Scripture, the sole authorities we have in 
this matter, rather than to the speculations of the best-equipped 
metaphysicians of ancient or modern times. It is safe to say 
that we have in this statement all that is humanly intelligible in 
the accepted doctrine of the Trinity, since, however much it may 
be condemned for failure to accord with traditional standards of 
doctrine, it is in complete accord with Scripture in regarding the 
Father as the One God par excellence, and postulating Christ's 
participation in the Godhead in Biblical terms. 

It may be admissible to assert, therefore, that the doctrine of 
the Godhead found in the theology of the Mormon Church is, 
purely and simply, the doctrine to be derived from Scripture 
teachings, when unmingled with philosophical speculations. As 
the advocates of this Church would doubtless claim, it is the 
revealed doctrine, untouched by human ingenuity. On this point 
B. H. Roberts writes: 

" Against the dogma that God was an incorporeal, immaterial, passion- 
less being, the Prophet [Joseph Smith] announced the splendid doctrine 
of anthropomorphism — God in the human form, and possessed of 
human qualities, but sanctified and perfected. In the first great 
revelation which opened this last dispensation our Prophet beheld 
Father and Son as separate persons, distinct from each other; persons 
in the form of men, but more glorious and more splendid, of course, 



THE MORMON DOCTRINE OF GOD 189 

than words could describe them to be. All through the revelation re- 
ceived, and all through his discourses, the Prophet reaffirms the old 
doctrine of the Scriptures, the doctrine of all the prophets, asserting 
that man indeed was created in the image of God, and that God pos- 
sessed human qualities, consciousness, will, love, mercy, justice; to- 
gether with power and glory — in a word, a Man 'exalted and per- 
fected.' " — Joseph Smith, the Prophet-Teacher, pp. 22-23. 

In another work, Roberts commenting on the statement that 
man was created " in the image of God," writes as follows : 

"Now, if that were untouched by 'philosophy,' I think it would not 
be difficult to understand. Man was created in the image and like- 
ness of God. What idea does this language convey to the mind of 
man, except that man, when his creation was completed, stood forth 
the counterpart of God in form? But our philosophers have not been 
willing to let it stand so. . . . They tell us that this plain, simple, 
straightforward language of Moses, which says that man was created 
in the image of God — and which everybody can understand — means, 
not the ' full-length ' image of God, but God's ' moral image ' ! Man 
was created in the ' moral image ' of God, they say. 

" The meaning of this language from the 26th. and 27th. verse of the 
first chapter of Genesis, where it is written, is made perfectly clear 
when compared with the third verse of the fifth chapter of Genesis, 
where it is written; 'And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, 
and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his 
name Seth.' What do these words imply, but that Seth was like his 
father in features, and also, doubtless, in intellect and moral qualities? 
And if, when it is said Adam begat a son in his ' own likeness, after his 
image/ it simply means that Seth, in form and features, and in- 
tellectual and moral qualities, was like his father — then there can be 
no other conclusion formed upon the passage that says God created 
man in his own image and likeness, than that man, in a general way, 
in form and feature, and intellectual and moral qualities, was like 
God." — The Doctrine of Deity, pp. ij(y-i77. 



CHAPTER XV 

THE DOCTRINES OF MAN, OF THE FALL, AND OF THE CHARACTER 

OF EVIL 

The doctrine that God made man " in His own image " is 
confined neither to his physical body, nor yet to his origin in the 
Garden of Eden. Just as the proper destiny of the human race 
is to attain to union with the divine nature, so, with equal pro- 
priety, essential divinity is believed to have been its origin. Man 
partakes of God's image and likeness also in possessing the 
proper attributes of God; intelligence — which is the "glory of 
God " (D. and C, Sec. xciii. 36) — and eternity, both past and 
future. This teaching involves, of course, that the spirit of 
man is self-existent, uncreated (although " begotten," being less 
than God), and that it had an actual and, in a very real sense, 
a conscious preexistence. This doctrine is an essential part of 
the teachings of Mormon scriptures, especially the Book of 
Abraham and the Doctrine and Covenants. In the latter book 
the following passages occur : 

"And now, verily I say unto you, I (Jesus Christ) was in the be- 
ginning with the Father, and am the first-born. ... Ye were also in 
the beginning with the Father; that which is spirit, even the Spirit of 
truth. . . . Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, 
or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be." 
— •Section xciii, 21, 23, 29. 

The same idea is still further developed in the following ex- 
tract from an address delivered by Joseph Smith in July, 1839: 
"The spirit of man is not a created being; it existed from eternity, 
and will exist to eternity. Anything created cannot be eternal; and 
earth, water, etc., had their existence in an elementary state, from 
eternity. Our Savior speaks of children and says, Their angels al- 
ways stand before my Father. The Father called all spirits before 
Him at the creation of man, and organized them. He (Adam, as men- 
tioned in the preceding paragraph) is the head, and was told to multi- 
ply. The keys were first given to him, and by him to others. He 
will have to give an account of his stewardship, and they to him." — 
History of the Church, Vol. III. p. 387. 

Of the condition of the spirits of mankind previous to their 
incarnation, and of the significance of the doctrine of preexist- 

190 



THE FALL OF MAN AND SIN 191 

ence to the body of the theological system of this Church, the 
following is an excellent explanation: 

"From the little knowledge we have on this subject (need of an 
earthly probation) we reach the following conclusions: That at the 
time of the creation of the earth, all who were to become its inhabi- 
tants were living in the spirit with God. There we communed with 
Him, partook of His kindness and mercy, received His counsel and 
instruction, and enjoyed, as fully as we were capable of enjoying, His 
glory. But happy and free from care and temptation though we 
doubtless were, safe from the snares, and dangers, and toils, and 
pains, and sins that beset us now, we were not perfectly contented. 
This because we were well aware that we had attained to the highest 
possible point of excellence — the greatest degree of advancement of 
which we were capable in the spiritual state. True, we were in heaven, 
sons and daughters of God, enjoying, no doubt, His fatherly care and 
protection; but we knew that that was not the highest and greatest 
destiny the Father had in mind for us. He desired that we should 
be fathers and mothers, as well as sons and daughters; rulers, as well 
as subjects; Gods, as well as children of God. This great, expand- 
ing, exalted destiny was closed to us, as long as we remained in the 
spiritual condition. 

"We fully knew that we must, first, obtain bodies; second, endure 
the tests of a temporary separation from our Father; third, form the 
relationships of husband and wife, parent and child, etc.; fourth, prove 
ourselves worthy in these relationships, in the midst of sorrow, sin, 
and suffering. Without these varied experiences, away from our 
heavenly home, and forgetful of our spiritual life with God, we knew 
that this higher exaltation would be impossible." — Anon., "Principles 
of the Gospel" Part I., pp. 33-34. (7. M. M. I. A. Manual. 1901-02.) 
As explained in the foregoing passage, the doctrine of an 
" earthy probation " for the spirits — or " souls " — of mankind 
involves that the experiences of life on earth are in some manner 
necessary for their " perfecting." Why this is true has always 
been a very real problem to earnest thinkers, quite as insistent, 
in fact, as the similar query as to why a good God has allowed 
evil. Whatever may be said in way of criticism or " confuta- 
tion," however, no one can deny that the explanation here given 
is both intelligible and plausible. The following passages con- 
tain the official explanation of the doctrine. 

"Man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, 
inseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy; and when separated, 
man cannot receive a fullness of joy." — D. & C, xciii. 33-34. 

"The spirit and the body is the soul of man. And the resurrection 
from the dead is the redemption of the soul." — Ibid, lxxxviii. 15-16. 

Separated from its particular methods of expression, the sense 
of these passages may be held to be that the spirit of man cannot 
by any means attain to its proper perfection until incarnated. 
But this is no new teaching: it is merely a restatement of a be- 
lief that has been common to humanity from remote ages: that 
the spirit and the body shall, at the resurrection, be reunited, and 
shall continue in association to eternity. This is the Christian 



192 THE REAL MORMONISM 

doctrine of the resurrection, as well as the Egyptian. Mormon- 
ism merely expresses what other teachings have always implied, 
that this eternal union of the spirit and the body is a necessary 
and essential condition of blessedness, rather than one merely 
accidental (so far, at least, as we can derive an intelligible ex- 
planation). It also enables us to understand, on these terms, 
why it is that God, embracing in Himself the sum of all perfec- 
tions, should logically be regarded as possessed of a proper body. 

The doctrine of preexistence coupled with this teaching, how- 
ever, is of importance in yet another phase of the situation. 
Briefly expressed, it is capable of explaining in humanly intel- 
ligible form the numerous passages of Scripture which have 
been held to teach the doctrine of foreordination. Indeed, with 
the acceptance of these passages as literal, not merely " figura- 
tive," expressions, we are able, with a belief in eternal preexist- 
ence, to justify the " justice of God" to our own minds, without 
abrogating the freedom of the individual will, which has been a 
great problem among theologians for many centuries. Coupled 
with the Mormon doctrine of the " fall " of Adam and the opera- 
tion of the atonement of Christ, it avoids the further troublesome 
dilemma of a foreknowing and foreordaining God, who is not 
also the actual author of sin and evil. 

The corollary of this teaching is that the spirits of mankind, 
gathered, as it were, in a "great council," acquiesced perfectly 
in all the conditions of earth life; accepting at that time the 
parts they were to play in the drama of time, in accordance with 
the purposes of God in inaugurating the plan. Forthwith, Adam 
was chosen by divine decree to become the progenitor and " patri- 
arch " of the human race ; being then appointed to play his part, 
which, by the terms of this system, also made possible the pro- 
creation of the human species. Thus, we may glean the outlines 
of an idea of the significance of the " fall " of man to the divine 
economy of the universe. The " fall " was foreseen of God as 
a part of the plan of " redemption " — which also becomes a 
necessary, not merely an " accidental," manifestation of divine 
power — and was participated by Adam, by free choice, and in 
obedience to the decrees of the "great council" of spirits, al- 
though in a very real sense a " transgression," as indicating, in 
effect, the assertion of the will of a finite intelligence, in opposi- 
tion to the expressed commands of the Supreme Intelligence. 
Thus, whether " foreknown," and, in a sense, " sanctioned " by 
God, or not, it is evident that this act of Adam's involved a very 
real "new order," in which, contrary to what should be, the 
human spirit no longer depends upon the divine will and law for 
its guidance, but rather upon itself. But, as all systems of 



THE FALL OF MAN AND SIN 193 

theology argue in some way, God used the sin of Adam as the 
starting point of the work of redemption. Here, however, His 
foreknowledge is not associated with alleged " divine decrees " 
by which, as the Westminster Confession asserts, " some men 
and angels are . . . foreordained to everlasting death," but, sur- 
prisingly enough, a means, literally, of a higher and completer 
blessing, as will be explained presently. 

Most of the passages of Scripture supposed to teach the doc- 
trine of foreordination may with equal propriety be held to in- 
volve the idea of preexistence also, and by no very wide departure 
from established canons of interpretation. Thus, we read: 

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou 
earnest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a 
prophet unto the nations." — Jer. i, 5. 

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be con- 
formed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among 
many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also 
called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he 
justified, them he also glorified." — Rom. viii, 29-30. 

In this connection it is needless to argue, on philosophical 
grounds, that, for God, who " inhabits eternity," foreknowing is 
knowing, and that what He foresees already exists for Him. 
On this view, however, the fact that, as stated in Acts xv. 18, 
" known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the 
world," involves for the philosopher that they preexisted in a 
preeminently real sense, as existing for the mind and contempla- 
tion of the Almighty: that which exists in time for finite minds 
exists in eternity for God. If, then, in the words of Christ 
(Mark xii. 27), " He is not the God of the dead, but the God of 
the living," involving that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still live, 
even though dead, it is no immense stretching of the sense of this 
passage to hold that those whom He " foreknew, predestinated, 
called, justified and glorified," may with propriety be covered by 
the same statement, even though, at the period mentioned, as yet 
unborn into the world of time. 

As exhibiting the method by which individual freedom of choice 
is represented as combining with the decisions of God, in estab- 
lishing the things to be accomplished in earth life, the following 
from one of the leading scriptures of the Mormon Church, may 
be quoted as illustration: 

"That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine 
Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he 
came before me, saying — Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy 
son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and 
surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold, my 
Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, 
said unto me — Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine for- 
ever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought 



194 THE REAL MORMONISM 

to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, 
and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power 
of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; and 
he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to de- 
ceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as 
many as would not hearken unto my voice." — Moses iv. 1-4. 

As may be understood, this passage refers primarily to the 
" origin of evil " by postulating a " war in heaven," or the " re- 
bellion " of a great archangel, known as Lucifer, the Son of the 
morning. As embodied in various oriental literatures, and in- 
troduced at a comparatively late period into the Bible — al- 
though this fact is no argument against its antiquity — the 
account has varied in differing degrees from the postulation of 
an eternal " dualism " [as between Ahura-Mazda, the good 
Creator, and Angro-Manyu, the evil creator, in the system of 
Zoroaster] to a vague and general belief in the existence of an 
evil influence in the spiritual world, potent over mankind, but 
inferior to, and permitted to exist by, God, for some " mysterious 
reasons." The explanation offered by Joseph Smith, curiously 
enough, contains the suggestion of a wonderfully clear solution 
of this problem. We learn here that all spirits, being eternal 
and uncreated, are in a very real sense " divine." We learn, also, 
that there are grades and degrees of dignity in the eternal world, 
as found in certain beings called archangels, seraphim, etc., who, 
as in the case of Gabriel, " stand in the presence of God " (Luke 
i. 19). We learn also that the freedom of the will consists in the 
really ultimate and uncaused character of all spirit life. With 
these postulates, we may understand much more readily how 
that Satan, or Lucifer, was a prototype in the eternal world of 
Korah and his company (Num. xvi. 3), who, with his followers, 
" gathered themselves together against [God] and against [the 
Eternal Son], and said, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all 
the congregation are holy, every one of them." Of course, the 
failure of this eternal spirit to recognize the infinite exaltation of 
God the Father above him — because accustomed to " stand in 
his presence " — is of the same description of " blindness " as 
that in which the traducers of the Eternal Son brought about his 
crucifixion. This sin explains why it was that Satan fell " as 
lightning from heaven" (Luke x. 18), also why it was that 
Judas, the betrayer, "went and hanged himself" (Matt, xxvii. 

5). 

A very similar solution of the vexed problem of " free will," 
placing the scene of its operation in a preexistent state of some 
order, is presented by several philosophers. Thus Prof. Josiah 
Royce, although basing his argument on a quite different concept 
of the universe, concludes as follows : 



THE FALL OF MAN AND SIN 195 

"The limits of a relatively untechnical discussion permit . . . only 
this dim suggestion of one of the deepest insights of modern philos- 
ophy. If it is right, your acts are at once from the temporal point 
of view absolutely bound, and from the eternal point of view abso- 
lutely free. For you enter into the divine order of two ways. In 
this world you are a fact in time, ... a creature with just this brain, 
doomed for countless ages to precisely this conduct. But the whole 
temporal order is for the absolute Self, of whom you are a part, only 
one way of looking at truth. All eternity is before him at a glance. 
He has chosen not temporally, but in an act above all time, yet an act 
in which you yourself share, to conceive this world which contains 
you. He has chosen this world for the sake of its worth. And in the 
estimate that eternally chooses, your will, your time-transcending per- 
sonality, your consciousness has its part also. You are not morally 
free to change laws in this world. But you are moral and free be- 
cause you are in the eternal sense a part of the eternal World-Creator, 
who never made the world at any moment of time, but whose choice 
of this describable world of time in its wholeness is what constitutes 
the world of appreciation, which is the world of truth." — Spirit of 
Modern Philosophy, pp. 433-434. 

The theologian and the philosopher, despite the wide diver- 
gence of their terminologies, are arguing to the same conclusions, 
and very momentous they are. We may see that both grapple 
with the problem of a transcendental and eternal essence — 
term it soul, spirit, or otherwise — involved in the limitations of 
time and causation. Having found them thus associated, the 
problem of unraveling the limitation easily appears as very real 
and consistent. It is not impossible, therefore, to conceive how 
that the eternal soul of man, associated with worldly limitations 
by the operation of natural generation, whereby, in some unex- 
plained fashion, he inherits and transmits to his offspring the 
habit of subservience to these limitations, should require the 
operation of another order of " generation " to regain his prime- 
val spiritual harmony with God, with a transcendence of all that 
is involved in sin and death. This, as we shall see, is the very 
situation to be unraveled in the grand doctrine of salvation. 

The following extract from a discourse by Joseph Smith, de- 
livered in 1843, continues the line of explanation already under- 
taken : 

" Salvation is nothing more nor less than to triumph over all our 
enemies and put them under our feet. And when we have power 
to put all enemies under our feet in this world, and a knowledge to 
triumph over all evil spirits in the world to come, then we are saved, 
as is the case of Jesus, who was to reign until He had put all enemies 
under His feet, and the last enemy was death. 

" Perhaps there are principles here that few men have thought of. 
No person can have this salvation except through a tabernacle. 

" Now, in this world, mankind are naturally selfish, ambitious and 
striving to excel one above another; yet some are willing to build up 
others as well as themselves. So in the other world there are a 
variety of spirits. Some seek to excel. And this was the case with 



196 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Lucifer when he fell. He sought for things which were unlawful. 
Hence he was sent down, and it is said he drew many away with him; 
and the greatness of his punishment is that he shall not have a taber- 
nacle. This is his punishment. So the devil, thinking to thwart the 
decree of God, by going up and down in the earth, seeking whom he 
may destroy — any person that he can find that will yield to him, he 
will bind him, and take possession of the body and reign there, glory- 
ing in it mightily, not caring that he had got merely a stolen body; 
and by-and-by some one having authority will come along and cast 
him out and restore the tabernacle to its rightful owner. The devil 
steals a tabernacle because he has not one of his own; but if he steals 
one, he is always liable to be turned out of doors." — History of the 
Church, Vol. V, pp. 387-388. 

It is perhaps unnecessary to call the reader's attention to the 
fact that herein we have merely an explanation, in the words of 
Joseph Smith, for the cases of " demoniacal possession," so 
familiar in Scripture, and so often discussed by Christ Himself. 
In one case, as will be remembered, the " demons " cast out of 
a maniac, were allowed to possess the bodies of a herd of swine, 
as the best available substitute for a human "tabernacle." 

As regards the significance of the " fall " of man, it is suf- 
ficient to say that we find it represented here, as in other formu- 
lations of theology, as a predestined and necessary event; with 
the notable exception that, in foreordaining it, God had in mind 
only the larger blessings of the race. Just as the sins and evils, 
incident on the flesh, appear to be in a very real sense the in- 
evitable accompaniments of life in this world, and as salvation 
is " nothing more nor less than to Triumph over all our (spirit- 
ual) enemies," and, because of this fact, " it is impossible for a 
man to be saved in ignorance" (D. and C. cxxxi. 6), so the 
transition of the human spirit into an environment in which this 
order of knowledge is necessary and obtainable, is really the first 
step in the way of a " higher progression." Thus may we under- 
stand the meaning of the Book of Mormon principle, "Adam 
fell that men might be ; and men are, that they might have joy." 
(II Nephi ii. 25.) The explanation of this principle is given, as 
follows : 

" It has become a common practice with mankind to heap re- 
proaches upon the progenitors of the family, and to picture the sup- 
posedly blessed state in which we would be living but for the Fall; 
whereas our first parents are entitled to our deepest gratitude for 
their legacy to posterity, — the means of winning glory, exaltation, and 
eternal lives, on the battlefield of mortality. But for the opportunity 
thus given, the spirits of God's offspring would have remained forever 
in a state of innocent childhood; sinless through no effort of their 
own; negatively saved, not from sin, but from the opportunity of 
meeting sin; incapable of winning the honors of victory because pre- 
vented from taking part in the battle. As it is, they are heirs to the 
birthright of Adam's descendants, — mortality, with its immeasurable 
possibilities and its God-given freedom of action. From Father Adam 



THE FALL OF MAN AND SIN 197 

we have inherited all the ills to which flesh is heir; but such are neces- 
sarily incident to the knowledge of good and evil, by the proper use 
of which knowledge man may become even as the Gods." — James E. 
Talmage {The Articles of Faith, p. 73). 

Roberts develops the same idea as follows : 

"To bring to pass these conditions essential to man's earth-expe- 
riences, on which is to be builded future progress, the ' fall ' must be ; 
which is only another way of saying that the transition from heaven con- 
ditions to earth must be made. In no way else could this earth depart- 
ment of God's great university for Intelligences be established. May it 
not, however, from some points of view be regarded as a misnomer, this 
' fall ' ? certainly it is but an incident in the process of rising to greater 
heights. It is but the crouch for the spring ; the steps backward in order 
to gain momentum for the rush forward ; a descending below all things 
only that there might be a rising above all things. Such the benefits to 
arise from the fall; at least to some, and doubtless to the benefit ul- 
timately, of most of the Intelligences that participate in earth-life, though 
there will be real losses in the adventure. The fall is to eventuate in the 
advantage of God's children, then, in the main." — The Seventy's Course 
in Theology, Fourth Year, pp. 38-39. 

The teachings developed in these passages are stated in the 
Book of Mormon, as follows : 

" If Adam had not transgressed, he would not have fallen ; but he 
would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which 
were created, must have remained in the same state which they were, 
after they were created ; and they must have remained for ever, and had 
no end . . . wherefore they would have remained in a state of inno- 
cence, . . . doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things 
have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." — II 
Nephi ii. 22-24. 

The view of the " fall " of man, as set forth in these passages 
involves in a very logical sense that, in this matter at least, Adam 
was the delegate of God in the consummation of an important 
part of the grand scheme of salvation, by taking the first step 
essential to the incarnation, hence, also, to the ultimate " exulta- 
tion " of the spirits of mankind. Therefore, although recog- 
nizing the sad consequences of the " fall " in many particulars, 
in the origination of sin and evil in the world, and emphasizing 
the involved necessity of redemption, the person of Adam has 
been accorded an exalted place in the world of mankind. Ac- 
cording to the authoritative literature of the Mormon Church, 
Adam is identified with the Archangel Michael, also with the 
Ancient of Days mentioned in the seventh chapter of Daniel. 
Joseph Smith writes thus about him : 

"The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First 
Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He 
obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 
26, 27, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He 
is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. . . . The Priest- 
hood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and 



198 THE REAL MORMONISM 

will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys 
have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent. When 
they are revealed from heaven it is by Adam's authority. 

"Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he 
means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael, he will call his chil- 
dren together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the com- 
ing of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, 
and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had the keys 
must stand before him in this grand council. This may take place be- 
fore some of us leave this stage of action. The Son of Man stands 
before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers 
up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding 
the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human 
family."— History of the Church, Vol. III. pp. 385-387. 

As developed in other connections, it is recorded that Adam, 
as the first holder of the Priesthood among mankind, is ap- 
pointed the " patriarch " of the human race under the direction 
of God, precisely, as is held, he played so important a part in the 
origination of the world in which the spirits of mankind should 
have opportunity to attain to their proper exaltation. On his 
installation in Eden, he was given two commands — to " increase 
and multiply," and to forbear eating of the Tree of Knowledge. 
Nor is Mormon theology the first connection in which we find 
the doctrine that these two commands were, in a very real sense, 
alternatives of action, impossible of performance by the same 
individual. Neither is it the first connection in which we en- 
counter the situation that God must have given the prohibition 
against eating of the Tree of Knowledge with full understanding 
that He would not be obeyed. It is not unreasonable to insist 
that the command was given as the condition of maintaining his 
state of primeval innocence, in which the performance of the 
other command would have been impossible, supposedly. How- 
ever, it is needless to reason upon alternative explanations. The 
text of Scripture asserts boldly that by eating of the Tree, thus 
disobeying God, man became " as gods knowing good and evil " 
which may be held to be the first step toward the very perfection 
postulated as the ultimate proper destiny of mankind in this 
system of theological teaching. The interpretation here given 
has the advantage over all others whatever in the fact that it 
gives humanly intelligible explanations of the counsel and pre- 
destination of God, which is to say explanations that do not im- 
pugn His love, His mercy, and His justice, in the mind and 
conscience of any rational man. 

In the further consideration of the exalted position ascribed 
to Adam in Mormon theology, we cannot but take notice of the 
bold comparisons made between him and Christ. The Saviour 
is called the " Second Adam" (I Cor. xv. 22, 45, 47) ; Adam is 



THE FALL OF MAN AND SIN 199 

called "the figure of him that was to come" (Rom. v. 14). 
Thus the " federal headship " of Adam, if we may use a term 
recognized in theological systematizations long previous to the 
rise of the Latter-day Gospel, and supposed to explain the fact 
that all mankind are justly involved in the guilt of Adam's trans- 
gression, even before their birth, attains a new emphasis, and 
rather a better one, since in this case Adam is represented as 
God's agent in the work of redemption, as well as in achieving 
the " fall " of man, already foreknown by God. Indeed, the 
justification for the view that Adam is the actual " Prince " and 
" Patriarch " of the human race, as well as its " federal Head," 
as a means merely of proving all mankind guilty of his sin, as 
set forth by others, is presented in Joseph Smith's explanation 
of the obscure passages in Daniel vii, describing the throned 
personage, known as the " Ancient of Days." This passage is 
interesting in this connection, since, although there is no clear 
clue to the identity of this personage in the text, it has usually 
been held that God Himself is referred to. However, the inter- 
pretation making him Adam, or some other vicegerent, may be 
held to be justified in part by the reference to " one like the Son 
of Man," who came to him. Thus : 

" I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man 
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancient of days, and 
they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, 
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should 
serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not 
pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. . . . and 
judgment was given to the saints of the Most High ; and the time came 
that the saints possessed the kingdom. . . . And the kingdom and do- 
minion . . . shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, 
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve 
and obey him." — Dan. vii. 13, 14, 22, 27. 

It seems evident that the " dominion and glory " are given up 
to the Son of man by the Ancient of days, which, instead of a 
delegation of power from God, becomes — and with equal pro- 
priety, according to the text — a yielding of authority to a 
Higher Power by one who had held it as vicegerent. It is evi- 
dent that, in this view, the passages in Daniel vii. bear some sort 
of analogy in idea to that contained in I Cor. xv. 24-28; the 
two being, in fact, consecutive. In the second it is said Christ 
himself " delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father." 

The belief that some such " vicegerency was actually awarded 
to Adam by divine decree is set forth in the following passage: 

"Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, 
Cainan, Mahaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all High 
Priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the 
valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last 



200 THE REAL MORMONISM 

blessing. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and 
blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the Prince, the Archangel. And 
the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him, I have 
set thee to be at the head — a multitude of nations shall come of thee, 
and thou art a prince over them for ever. And Adam stood up in the 
midst of the congregation, and notwithstanding he was bowed down with 
age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall 
his posterity unto the latest generation. These things are all written 
in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time." — Doctrine 
and Covenants, cvii. 53-57. 

The peculiar regard for Adam manifested in Mormon theol- 
ogy? coupled with the terms in which he has been mentioned by 
some of their authorities, has given rise to the popular idea that 
Adam is really identified with God. Thus, as frequently urged 
by hostile critics, President Young once said that Adam is " our 
father and our God," also, " the only God with whom we have 
to do." Whether or not Young actually intended to convey the 
ideas that his words suggest, or merely did not realize the pos- 
sible connotation of his words, it is altogether certain that the 
Mormon Church holds to no doctrine by which Adam is repre- 
sented as anyone other than a being eternally inferior to God 
the Father. Undoubtedly this alleged doctrine of Mormonism, 
which mean minds have ruthlessly advertised, without any in- 
vestigation whatever, is, like other " obnoxious doctrines," 
ascribed to this system, more properly a matter of words than 
of ideas. As we shall see later, this identical situation is in- 
volved in the use of the word " gods " in this theology ; thus 
giving the wanton enemies of this Church the opportunity to 
accuse it of teaching polytheism, which is very far from the 
truth of the matter, as must be acknowledged in the simple cause 
of justice, truth-telling, and intelligence. It is an excellent thing 
to investigate sufficiently to discover what a man really says, or a 
system really teaches, before proceeding to condemn it for 
" harmful errors." The allegation in regard to the alleged 
" Adam-God doctrine " is thus discussed in a letter, under date 
Feb. 20, 191 2, addressed by the First Presidency of the Church 
to one of its missionaries, who, as it seems, had been reproached 
with this doctrine by opponents : 

"You speak of the 'assertion made by Brigham Young that Jesus 
was begotten of the Father in the flesh by our father Adam, and that 
Adam is the father of Jesus Christ and not the Holy Ghost/ and you 
say that Elders are challenged by certain critics to prove this. 

" If you will carefully examine the sermon to which you refer, in the 
Journal of Discourses, Vol. I., you will discover that, while President 
Young denied that Jesus was ' begotten by the Holy Ghost/ he did not 
afnrm, in so many words, that ' Adam is the father of Jesus Christ in 
the flesh/ He said, ' Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh 
by the same character that was in the Garden of Eden and who is our 
Father in Heaven/ Who is our 'Father in Heaven'? Here is what 



THE FALL OF MAN AND SIN 201 

President Young said about him : * Our Father in Heaven begat all the 
spirits that ever were or ever will be upon this earth, and they were 
born spirits in the eternal world. Then the Lord by his power and wis- 
dom organized the mortal tabernacle of man.' Was He in the Garden 
of Eden? Surely He gave commandments to Adam and Eve; He 
was their Father in Heaven; they worshipped Him, and taught their 
children after the fall to worship and obey Him, in the name of the 
Son who was to come. 

" But President Young went on to show that our father Adam, — that 
is, our earthly father, — the progenitor of the race of men, stands at our 
head, being ' Michael the Archangel, the Ancient of Days,' and that he 
was not fashioned from earth like an adobe, but begotten by his Father 
in Heaven. Adam is called in the Bible 'the Son of God' (Luke iii. 
38). It was our Father in Heaven who begat the spirit of him who was 
'the Firstborn' of all the spirits that come to this earth, and who was 
also his Father by the Virgin Mary, making him the ' Only Begotten in 
the flesh/ Read Luke i. 26-35. Where is Jesus called the 'Only Be- 
gotten of the Holy Ghost ' ? He is always singled out as the ' Only Be- 
gotten of the Father.' . . . The Holy Ghost came upon Mary, and her 
conception was under that influence, even of the spirit of life; our 
Father in Heaven was the Father of the Son of Mary, to whom the 
Savior prayed, as did our earthly father Adam. 

" When President Young asked, ' Who is the Father ' ? he was speak- 
ing of Adam as the father of our earthly bodies, who is at our head, as 
revealed in Doctrine and Covenants, Section cvii, verses 53-56. In that 
sense he is one of the gods referred to in numerous scriptures, and par- 
ticularly by Christ (John x, 34-36). He is the great Patriarch, the An- 
cient of Days, who will stand in his place as ' a Prince over us forever,' 
and with whom we shall 'have to do,' as each family will have to do 
with its head, according to the holy patriarchal order. Our father 
Adam, perfected and glorified as a god, will be the being who will carry 
out the behests of the great Elohim in relation to his posterity (Daniel 
vii. 9-14). 

" While, as Paul puts it, 'there be gods many and lords many (whether 
in heaven or in earth), unto us there is but one God the Father, of whom 
are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things.' The 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worships Him, and Him 
alone, who is the Father of Jesus Christ, whom He worshipped, whom 
Adam worshipped, and who is God the Eternal Father of us all." 

Although, as must be admitted in all honesty, this statement is 
a perfectly candid and straightforward presentation of the Mor- 
mon position on this much discussed issue, it is, nevertheless, 
difficult to make the matter entirely clear to a non-Mormon mind. 
It must be said, therefore, that the position of Adam, even as 
stated in Brigham Young's much-discussed remark, is merely a 
corollary, and a very logical one, of the exalted idea of the 
sacredness of organization held among the Mormons, rather than 
of any tendency to deify a man. It is their belief that the or- 
ganization of their Church is merely a duplicate of the organiza- 
tion of the universe of spirits. Thus, in discussing the doctrine 
of the Godhead, it is not uncommon to hear mention of the 
" Great Presidency in Heaven," which, like the Presidency of 



202 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

the Church on earth, is composed of Three Personages. The 
" federal headship " of Adam, therefore, involves that he is a 
factor in a great organization, which is composed of all the 
spirits of mankind, who exist on earth, or who have already ex- 
isted. In this capacity, he discharges his functions as the first 
and foremost holder of the Priesthood on earth. Since, also, 
" when the keys of Gospel ordinances are revealed from heaven, 
it is by Adam's authority," there is an involved suggestion that 
the holders of priestly authority are, in a sense, personally under 
his direction. B. H. Roberts explains the matter as follows: 
" The Scriptures represent in many places the existence of a plurality 
of divine personages, how many we do not know, and it does not matter. 
But we hear of God saying, ' Let us make man in our image ' ; ' the man 
has become as one of us, knowing good and evil ' ; ' God standeth in the 
congregation of the Mighty, he judgeth among the Gods' ... 'I have 
said Ye are Gods, and all of you are children of the most High.' The 
last a passage of the Psalms, quoted and defended by the Savior as a 
justification of his own claim to sonship with God. And now, if the 
great archangel, Michael, or Adam, is among that number of exalted, 
divine souls, what more fitting than that the father of the human race 
shall become the great presiding patriarch of our earth and its redeemed 
inhabitants ; and the one with whom our race would most immediately 
have to do? What sacrilege is there in this thought? Is it not reason- 
able that it should be so?" — Answer to the Ministerial Association 
Review, p. 17. 

In accord with the " patriarchal " concept of the government 
of the universe, the " fall " of man, as already seen, was an in- 
tegral part of the divine plan for man's exaltation. Thus, the 
view that it was a distinct benefit reaches its height in the fol- 
lowing passage from the Pearl of Great Price: 

"And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to 
prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be 
the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, 
and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. 
"And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: 
Were it not for our transgressions we never should have had seed, 
and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemp- 
tion, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient." — 
Moses v. 10-11. 

The expressions so far given very closely suggest that this 
accepted teaching on the " fall " is quite in harmony with the 
findings of current optimism in theology and life. This is not 
wholly true, however, since the fact of Adam's sin and the need 
of an atonement are in no sense lost to sight. 

Continuing the discussion of the atonement given in a former 
quotation, Roberts proceeds as follows: 

" But Adam did sin. He did break the law, which is sin, and viola- 
tion of law involves the violator in its penalties, as surely as effect fol- 
lows cause. Upon this principle depends the dignity and majesty of law. 
Take this fact away from moral government and your moral laws 



THE FALL OF MAN AND SIN 203 

become mere nullities. Therefore, notwithstanding Adam fell that men 
might be, and that in his transgression there was at bottom a really 
exalted motive — a motive that contemplated nothing less than bringing 
to pass the highly necessary purposes of God with respect to man's 
existence in the earth — yet his transgression of law was real ; he did 
brave the conditions that would be brought into existence by his sin; 
it was followed by certain moral effects in the nature of men and in the 
world. The harmony of things was broken ; discord ruled ; changed 
relations between God and men took place; moral and intellectual dark- 
ness, sin and death — death, the wages of sin — stalked through the 
world, and made necessary the Atonement for man, and his redemption." 
— " The Atonement," {The Seventy's Course in Theology, p. 39). 

" Not only must the sin of Adam be atoned, but satisfaction must be 
made for the sins of every man, if the integrity of the moral government 
of the world is to be preserved. 

"Man is just as helpless with reference to his own, individual sins, 
as Adam was with reference to his sin. Man when he sins by breaking 
the laws of God, sins of course against divine law ; commits a crime 
against the majesty of God, and thereby dishonors him. And man is 
just as helpless to make adequate satisfaction to God, I repeat, as Adam 
was for his sin in Eden; and is just as hopelessly in the grasp of inex- 
orable law as Adam and his race were after the first transgression. For 
individual man from the beginning was as much in duty bound to keep 
the law of God as Adam was; and if now, in the present and for the 
future he observes the law of God and remains righteous, he is doing 
no more than he ought to have done from the beginning; and doing his 
duty now and for the future can not free him from the consequences of 
his past violations of God's law. The individual man, then, is just as 
much in need of a satisfaction being made to the justice of God for his 
individual transgression of divine law, for his violence to the honor of 
God, for his insult to the majesty of God, as was Adam for his sin." — 
Ibid. pp. 98-99. 

In the reading of these passages the informed reader must 
recognize their consistency with commonly- received opinions on 
the subject of Christ's atonement, although with the obvious 
difference that the Mormon Articles of Faith distinctly aver the 
belief " that men will be punished for their own sins, and not 
for Adam's transgression." (Article 2.) 



CHAPTER XVI 

THE DOCTRINES OF ATONEMENT, RELIGIOUS DUTY, AND PERSONAL 

RIGHTEOUSNESS 

The doctrine of the atonement, as explained by Mormon 
preachers and writers, is eminently reasonable and beautiful. 
Its operation also is set forth in no uncertain terms. Thus, in 
the words of Brigham Young: 

"There never was, and never will be, a world created and redeemed 
except by the shedding of the blood of the Saviour of that world. I 
know why the blood of Jesus was shed. ... It is all to answer a pur- 
pose. Adam subjected himself to the conditions of this world, as did 
our Lord and Master, that redemption and exaltation might come to 
man. Without descending below all things, we cannot rise above all 
things. The gospel of salvation will never change. It is the same in all 
ages of the world and will be through all the ages of eternity." — " Wil- 
ford Woodruff" {Cowley) pp. 447-448. 

The operation of Christ's atoning power is thus explained by 
Roberts : 

" To bring to pass the redemption of man from the Fall — the effect 
of which was to subject the race to the power of death and the bond of 
sin — a Redeemer was provided in the person of Jesus Christ, the sec- 
ond personage of the God-head; who, being possessed of the power 
of the resurrection in his own person, broke the bands of death and 
released man from the power thereof, by bringing to pass the resurrec- 
tion from the dead, a reality in which all men born into the world will 
ultimately participate. Jesus Christ also released men from the bondage 
of their own sins on condition of their acceptance of the principles of 
His Gospel, and obedience to the laws and ordinances thereof." — 
Mormonism, its Origin and History, pp. 36-37. 

President John Taylor gives the following: 

m " In some mysterious, incomprehensible way, Jesus assumed the respon- 
sibility which naturally would have devolved upon Adam; but which 
could only be accomplished through the mediation of Himself, and by 
taking upon Himself their sorrows, assuming their responsibilities, and 
bearing their transgressions or sins. In a manner to us incompre- 
hensible and inexplicable, He bore the weight of the sins of the whole 
world; not only of Adam, but of his posterity; and in doing that, opened 
the Kingdom of Heaven, not only to all believers and all who obeyed 
the law of God, but to more than one half of the human family who 
die before they come to years of maturity, as well as to the heathen, 
who, having died without law, will, through His mediation, be resurrected 

304 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 205 

without law, and be judged without law, and thus participate, according 
to their capacity, works, and worth, in the blessings of his atonement." 
— "Mediation and Atonement," pp. 148-149. 

The following explanation occurs in the writings of the Prophet 
Joseph Smith: 

"The Son . . . ordained from before the foundation of the world to 
be a propitiation for the sins of all those who should believe on his 
name . . . descended in suffering below that which man can suffer; or, 
in other words, suffered greater sufferings, and was exposed to more 
powerful contradictions than any man can be. But, notwithstanding all 
this, he kept the law of God, and remained without sin, showing thereby 
that it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without 
sin; and also, that by him a righteous judgment might come upon all 
flesh." — Lectures on Faith, V. 

"For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; 
wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent 
and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he 
might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance." — Doctrine 
and Covenants, Section 18, 11-12. 

Through all of these explanations of this august doctrine a 
distinct logical consistency is manifest. The souls of mankind, 
subjected to the limiting conditions of material earth-life, which 
inevitably involve the existence of sin and death, because of the 
vividness of sense experience, etc., gradually tend to forget God 
and the "glory which [they] had with him before the world 
was." And this is the sum total of all that is sin. They become 
blinded and incapable in respect to spiritual things through the 
domination in their minds of considerations gross and sensuous. 
It is obviously impossible, therefore, that they could, by and 
through their own efforts, transcend the limitations into which 
they have been born. 

The logical consequence is that an "intervention" must take 
place. Thus it is that the Son of God himself becomes a man, 
'" in all points tempted as are we," emptying himself, as the 
Apostle Paul informs us, of all his dignities and powers, and 
becoming poor for our sakes. Yet, because he was, even as 
man, also a perfected man he alone could achieve the mastery 
of conditions common to humanity, and rising above them, even 
above a death of torture and ignominy, demonstrate to man and 
God alike the possibilities of God-assisted humanity. Therefore, 
as a consequence of his " atonement," which is to say, his recon- 
ciliation, the sin and " fall " of Adam ceases to appear in the 
eyes of God as an obstacle or barrier to man's restoration to 
spiritual life on a plane of higher development, and is thus said 
to have been " forgiven " through Christ. In other words, the 
achievements of Christ have brought to a demonstration the truth 
that man's nature was not irretrievably ruined by the " fall," and 
that God's " experiment " is not a failure. Human nature in 



206 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the person of Christ has stood the uttermost test and remained 
faithful to the heavenly vision. And this same test is possible 
to, even if not required of, all men whose hearts are set into 
harmony with God's will, and whose trust is in Him. 

There are many figures that might be used to symbolize the 
atoning act of Christ ; but the following from Professor John A. 
Widtsoe will excellently suffice: 

" Conditions that may be likened to the atonement are found in 
science. Suppose an electrical current, supplying a whole city with 
power and light, is passing through a wire. If for any reason the wire 
is cut the city becomes dark and all machines driven by the current 
cease their motion. If a person, in his anxiety to restore the city to 
its normal conditions, seizes the ends of the wire with his bare hands, 
and unites them, he probably will receive the full charge of the current 
in his body. Yet, as a result, the light and power will return to the city ; 
and one man by his action, has succeeded in doing the work for many." 
— Science and the Gospel, p. 119. 

Mormon theology, however, discriminates the action of the 
atonement into two distinct and separate channels of application, 
which may be described as the general and the particular. In 
accordance with the analysis of the doctrine, as given above, the 
general application is concerned with God's view of the matter, 
and consists in virtually neutralizing the effects of Adam's sin, 
which, from henceforth and forever, is done away, blotted out 
and forgotten by God. The human race has been reborn ac- 
cording to the generation of the " Second Adam, the Lord from 
heaven." 

Thus, by Christ's act in restoring the broken circuit between 
God and man, all humanity stands before Him in the same rela- 
tion, perfectly restored, as that occupied by Adam before the 
fall, with the exception, however, that every man must " work 
out his own salvation " by obedience to the law and ordinances 
of the Gospel. And here comes in the personal, or special, 
application. 

From the foregoing we may see the force of the article in the 
Articles of Faith announcing that " men shall be punished for 
their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression." Further- 
more, by these two lines of application there is struck a surpris- 
ingly beautiful balance, avoiding the extremes alike of the doc- 
trine of universal salvation, as formulated by the New Eng- 
land reaction against Calvinism, and the traditional teaching that 
mankind are doubly burdened with their own and Adam's sins. 

Explaining the universal application of Christ's atoning 
power, Professor Orson Pratt writes, as follows: 

" We believe that through the sufferings, death, and atonement of 

Jesus Christ, all mankind, without exception, are to be completely and 

fully redeemed, body and spirit, from the endless banishment and curse 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 207 

to which they were consigned by Adam's transgression; and that this 
universal salvation and redemption of the whole human family from the 
endless penalty of the original sin, is effected without any conditions, 
whatever, on their part; that is, they are not required to repent, or be 
baptized, or do anything else, in order to be redeemed from that penalty ; 
for whether they believe or disbelieve; whether they repent or remain 
impenitent ; whether they are baptized or unbaptized ; whether they keep 
the commandments or break them; whether they are righteous or un- 
righteous, it will make no difference in relation to their redemption, 
both soul and body, from the penalty of Adam's transgression. The 
most righteous man that ever lived on the earth, and the most wicked 
wretch of the whole human family, were both placed under the same 
curse without any transgression or agency of their own, and they both 
alike will be redeemed from that curse without any agency or condi- 
tions on their part." 

Because Christ, through His death and resurrection, " brought 
life and immortality to light," on the plane of earth experience, 
which is the plane of intelligent comprehension, He made avail- 
able to mankind the means of finding God, each man for himself, 
in the world of earth experience, and through association with 
Him in the appointed ways of achieving a complete restoration 
of spiritual harmony with the Father. These appointed ways 
are (a) compliance with the " ordinances of the Gospel," and 
(b) the fulfilling of the law of righteousness. 

In the teachings upon the matter of fulfilling the law of 
righteousness we find a healthy consistency with the conclusions 
of life experience and sound reason; avoiding the extremes of 
several systems of theology, which seem to have set an exag- 
gerated estimate upon the divine requirements in this particular. 
It is noticeable, however, that the common line of teachings on 
" human disability," " total depravity," and the like, which as- 
sert man's impotence to do God's will, or to obey the positive 
commands given by him, have acted in many instances to dis- 
count the value of even the commonest social virtues and to 
encourage, in effect, their actual neglect. Thus, in the com- 
monly-received Protestant doctrine of " salvation by faith " (as- 
sent) the supreme virtue is made to consist in the mere act of 
believing a given line of teachings, which is supposed to insure 
salvation, even with the commission of mean and unethical sins, 
which are only too common among all peoples to require desig- 
nation. It is a sad comment on the logical sense of most formu- 
lators of traditional systems that they have neglected to follow 
the plain Scriptural teaching that in the God-led Christian life a 
man is to be endowed with power to fulfill the moral and ethical 
law to a sufficient extent to please God, who knows his limita- 
tions, and that when he fails notably in this matter it is be- 
cause he is more devoted to the world and its concerns than to 
the commands of God, as he professes. 



208 THE REAL MORMONISM 

We must consider, therefore, that the teaching of religion 
should emphasize righteousness as a duty, equal at least with the 
act of believing, and as the test of the reality of belief, or " faith," 
rather than an incidental — too often, also, a negligible — quan- 
tity. This is true because, in ultimate constitution, both the in- 
dividual and the social order presuppose, for their normal con- 
tinuance, the fulfilment of the very duties most emphasized by 
Christ and most often neglected in Christian performance. Nor 
are these only the line of virtues usually classed as "moral," 
those relating to " purity," " temperance," and the like, but those 
usually classed as " ethical " also, the " weightier matters of the 
law" — "justice, mercy and truth" — the avoidance of the sins 
of pride, covetousness, self -aggrandisement, the amassing of 
useless wealth, and the development of a spirit of indifference 
to the sufferings of humanity, which latter is a notable mark of 
what is usually labeled " aristocratic." Had the clever formula- 
tions of the Calvins, and others of similar tendencies, been suf- 
ficiently logical to recognize the true Scriptural teaching in this 
matter, we should have had a nearer approach to Christ's advo- 
cated standards of right living and fewer serious " social prob- 
lems " to confront us at the present day, with the long train of 
" solutions " of an utterly unreligious character. 

The simple truth is, in this matter, that a " perfect man " in 
the eyes of God's law is not of necessity an archangel, any more 
than a perfect animal of any species — according to the standard 
that may be adopted in any given case — approximates at all to 
characteristics usually classed as " human." Whether or not, 
therefore, good works can merit salvation, as is denied by the 
traditional " confessions " and creeds, it remains true that they 
are enjoined upon man as emphatically as is faith itself. The 
question of their intrinsic worth is not to enter into the discus- 
sion ; since, whether as mere promises of payment, without " col- 
lateral," or coin current at full face value, God has declared that 
they are acceptable to Him as duties done and demands per- 
formed, which are to be requited by Him, according to the faith 
and devotion which they demonstrate ("show," as in James ii, 
17-18). 

James E. Talmage, writing of faith as a consequence of ac- 
cepting the teachings and work of Christ, has this: 

"Inasmuch as salvation is attainable only through the mediation and 
atonement of Christ, and since this is made applicable to individual sin 
only in the cases of those who obey the laws of righteousness, faith in 
Jesus Christ is indispensable to salvation. ... As is fitting for so price- 
less a pearl, it is given to those only who show by their sincerity that 
they are worthy of it, and who give promise of abiding by its dictates. 
Although faith is called the first principle of the Gospel of Christ, though 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 209 

it be in fact the foundation of all religion, yet even faith is preceded by 
sincerity of disposition and humility of soul, whereby the word of God 
may make an impression upon the heart. . . . Faith is a passive sense, 
that is achieve as mere belief, is inefficient as a means of salvation. This 
truth was clearly set forth by Christ and the apostles, and the vigor with 
which it was declared may be an indication of the early development of a 
most pernicious doctrine — that of justification by belief alone. The 
Saviour taught that works were essential to the validity of profession and 
the efficacy of faith."— Articles of Faith, pp. 110-111. 

Dr. Talmage then proceeds to justify his contention by quoting 
such passages of Scripture as Matt, vii, 21 ; John xiv, 21 ; James 
ii, 14-18; I John ii, 3-5, and concludes: 

" Yet in spite of the plain word of God, sectarian dogmas have been 
promulgated to the effect that by faith alone man may achieve salva- 
tion, and that a mere profession of belief shall open the doors of heaven 
to the sinner. The Scriptures cited and man's inherent sense of justice 
furnish a sufficient refutation of these false teachings." — Ibid. p. 112. 

According to Mormon teachings, the acceptance of the truth 
of the Gospel must be followed by repentance, which involves a 
sense of sin and the desire for forgiveness. This latter end is 
achieved in the rite of baptism, which, as with John the Baptist, 
is held to be " for the remission of sins." This act, however, 
does not sanctify or blanket subsequent ill-doings, nor furnish 
excuse or palliation for persistence in evil practices. But, as 
faith is declared to be a " gift of God," so also is the ability to 
fulfil the law of righteousness a gift of the Spirit, as a conse- 
quence of faith. At this point we may understand how that 
belief in the reality of " spiritual gifts " is highly logical and 
practical. Roberts writes thus: 

" But after forgiveness of past sins the human weakness still remains, 
human inclination to sin still drives man on toward error, and his 
imperfect judgment is not sufficient to guide him aright; his human 
strength alone is not sufficient to make him equal to the task of living 
in harmony with the divine law. God knew this would be the condition 
of man, and hence provided in His gospel the baptism of the Holy Ghost 
through the ordinance of laying-on of hands, by which this baptism is 
effected. By this baptism of the Spirit man's life is brought in touch 
with the spirit life of God, and some of God's strength imparted to him, 
by reason of which he may hope to overcome the world, the flesh and 
the devil. He receives in the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and 
the privilege of perpetually walking within the circle of His influence, an 
unction from the Holy One, by which he may know all things, an anoint- 
ing which, if it abide upon him, will teach him all things. Under this 
companionship and its influence man begins the work of character- 
building, which at the last shall prepare him to dwell with God." — Mor- 
monism, its Origin and History, p. 38. 

While it is true that the Mormon Church, quite as much as any 
other, would be inclined to discount the Godward value of 
" works done by unregenerate men " — emphasizing as it does 
the need of performing the divinely-ordained ordinances, par- 



£lo Sttfe RfeAL MbRMONISM 

ticularly baptism, which it declares necessary to Salvation, or 
admission to the higher glories .of the Kington of God — it 
makes the most elaborate provisions Wt 'ensuring the end of 
righteous living, in all. that ife t ^x|>ression connotes, among its 
people. Indeed, in its famffi&r phrases, " salvation of the earth," 
" salvation of the total man," " salvation of society," it expresses 
a wider and completer idea of salvation than that of the indi- 
vidual soul merely. That it is essentially a social system is 
demonstrated in its "hierarchic" organization, which, in effect, 
reorganizes human society on a religious basis, doing as much as 
seems humanly or terrestrially possible to enable the living of a 
righteous life by all its members. Thus, as is explained in the 
section dealing with this organization, the element of close and 
constant association of each member of the Church, with all 
others, first with the members of his own quorum, and through 
it with all other quorums, to the very highest, makes him a factor 
in a strongly organized machine; giving him such assistance, 
spiritual, moral and temporal, as he may require, also moving; 
him to form the habit of helpfulness to others, as a part of his 
religious duties. This element of strong organization and close 
association undoubtedly begets a sense of fellow-feeling among 
men — the very thing most needed in these days of social per- 
plexities. The claim is that this very organization was revealed 
for the purpose of achieving the development of superior per- 
sonal and social righteousness, impossible without some such 
device. Indeed, the failure of traditional systems to counteract 
social and moral difficulties, as well as the familiar derogation of 
formal righteousness, are held to be notable evidences of their 
" apostasy " — they have ignored the divine institutions of soci- 
ety, and have thus lost the power of the " priesthood." It would 
seem reasonable, indeed, that God, requiring the development of 
social virtues, and allowing such sad perversions to result from 
their neglect — and we see enough of this sort of thing now- 
adays — should have provided a mechanism in His Church that 
should be capable of assisting materially in the work of fulfilling 
His commands. Nor is the claim that a stable and vital organi- 
zation, when working to achieve such ends, directly evidences its 
own divine authority and origin by any means absurd. Christ 
put the " duty to the neighbor " — w Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself " — second only to the " duty toward God " ; but he 
talked about it very much oftener, and frequently came near to 
identifying the two (I John iv. 20-21). If, then, as is claimed, 
he founded his Church, with authority to preach his Gospel and 
administer the ordinances of religion, for the glory of God and 
the salvation of mankind, it would seem nearly inevitable that he 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 211 

should endow it with the proper means of fulfilling his con- 
stantly urged commands regarding the ethical duties, which 
should redeem society from its " problems " and perplexities. 
It is a sad thing that we must record that this evident truth was 
lost to sight for eighteen hundred years, and that, as we must 
confess, no one, reformer or otherwise, thought of it as a neces- 
sary element in Gospel administration, until the day of Joseph 
Smith. 

Because the Mormon gospel stands upon this evident New Tes- 
tament basis of emphasizing temporal and social well-being, and 
the virtues upon which these depend, nearly the first act of 
Joseph Smith, after the foundation of his church, was to in- 
augurate the United Order, or Order of Enoch, whose object 
was to realize practical cooperation for the common good. This 
Order, which attempted to carry out on a consistent scale the 
community of goods practiced by the ancient saints at Jerusalem, 
was one of the most interesting and significant sociological move- 
ments of modern times. Its discontinuance as a practical reality 
by no means eliminated the ideals which it embodied, and its 
restoration, as the highest type of divine righteousness in human 
society, is confidently expected. Indeed, while making no at- 
tempt to remodel the customs of society, the whole organization 
of the Church still maintains loyalty to this noble ideal. 

It would be difficult to see how the organization of the " hier- 
archy " could operate otherwise than to the temporal and moral 
advantage of all concerned. Indeed, it supplies an excellent 
model for such a reorganization of society on a religious basis 
as shall insure the happiness and well-being of a goodly majority, 
as against the present absurd and brutal social order which spe- 
ciously harbors, on the one hand, complacent self -righteousness, 
fatly thriving on worldly advantage and solaced with the alleged 
" blessed assurances " of a debased " Christianity," and, on the 
other, black despair, filthy vice and degrading poverty, so that 
neither interferes with the other. Traditional religion leaves 
society utterly unorganized, and offers no encouragement, except 
for those who may be 

" Lured by hope of some diviner drink 
To fill the cup that's crumbled into dust." 

In broad contrast with these performances, or lack of per- 
formances, Mormonism has always had a very important " tem- 
poral side," which has drawn railing accusations from its critics, 
who violently denounce any public, social and industrial activi- 
ties in a professedly religious body, simply because their own 
sects have demonstrated their complete futility in their impo- 
tence before the great moral and sociological complications of 



212 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the times. In this one particular, as will be explained later, the 
Mormon gospel contains a real and valid message and example 
to the whole world in these days of social and moral unrest. 
On this point President Joseph F. Smith writes as follows : 

" No sacred system of government, having in view the salvation 
of the bodies as well as the spirits of men, can successfully accomplish 
its mission without being temporal as well as spiritual in character. It 
was the doctrine of Joseph Smith, the original revelator of ' Mormonism,' 
that the spirit and the body constitute the soul of man. It has always 
been a cardinal teaching with the Latter-day Saints, that a religion which 
has not the power to save people temporally and make them prosperous 
and happy here, cannot be depended upon to save them spiritually, and 
exalt them in the life to come."— The, Truth about Mormonism, Out 
West, Sept., 1905, p. 242. 

The Mormon Church is thus the first body claiming to be the 
true Church which has promulgated the theory that this claim 
must be made good, according to the New Testament standard, 
that a tree is to be judged as good or evil, according to its fruits. 
Says Charles Ellis : 

" I do not care for these cries of fraud against Smith and Mormonism 
any more than I do for the same cries that have rung down the 
centuries against Jesus and His religion. The only question is — what 
have these alleged frauds done for the good of mankind ? ' Christianity ' 
has shed more blood than all other systems and powers on earth, and 
civilization has come in spite of it. What has ' Mormonism ' done, 
what is it doing? Christianity has given martyrs to its cause — so has 
Mormonism, and Mormonism has given help, home and happiness to 
many thousands of Christians who would have known neither without 
its helping hand. Very early in the career of the Mormon Church the 
principle of cooperation was set up as the line along which the Church 
should work for 'the brotherhood of man/ and while it has never 
been realized as anticipated, several attempts have been made that have 
been at least partially successful, even against bitter opposition by gov- 
ernment officials and anti-Mormons in general. . . . Owing to the many 
adversities against which the Church and people have had to struggle 
the principle of cooperation may be said to be yet largely latent, but 
it is deeply rooted in the minds of the people that the time is sure to 
come when cooperation will exist wherever it can be made practicable 
among Mormons. . . . Below it is the theological belief that this world, 
practically as it is now, is to be the home of the people who lived upon 
it in mortal life, through that endless life upon which they will enter ' in 
the resurrection,' and cooperation will then be the rule. . . . Brigham 
Young, all admit, was a wonderful colonizer. Yet his work was all 
done to carry out this Mormon idea of an eternal life on this very 
world. His policy has been followed. The Mormon leaders have bought 
land for the Church in most of these mountain states and territories, 
as well as in Mexico and Canada. Why? Because they, for their peo- 
ple, could buy vastly more advantageously than individuals could. But 
that land the Church sells on easy terms to its immigrants, and so wel- 
comes them by cooperation and brotherhood. 

" Whether Mormonism is right or wrong, its this-world-religion of 
cooperation and brotherhood-of-man seems to have been and to continue 
to be good for the Mormon people, — and why should we not all admit 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 213 

the fact? Mormonism is a practical every-day religion of this life and 
this world looking upon the advancement of its people here as the best 
preparation for that eternal life they expect to live on this same world 
J in the resurrection/ All peoples have equal right to form and hold 
their opinions as to the meaning and purpose of this life and that which 
is to come, and, therefore, it strikes me that among religious sects Mor- 
monism has achieved sufficient success to give it a pull strong enough 
to withstand all ministerial and political misrepresentation and abuse. 
If I were a Mormon I should not be uneasy as to the result." — Christian 
and Mormon Doctrines, pp. 32-35. 

In the study of the Mormon system, in spite of the partial 
explanations given by most authorities, and the evident crudities 
of style and expression found in the writings of some of its 
prominent exponents in the past, one catches, every now and 
then, sure glimpses, apparently, of a grand and admirable 
philosophy, behind and beneath all its principles. Thus, strange 
as it may seem to the casual reader, this " materialism " of which 
we hear so much, this " this-world religion "of practical ideals 
and standards, appears as an essential element in a consistent 
and far-reaching scheme of salvation that is to include, not only 
the spirits and bodies of mankind, but also the earth itself, 
which, according also to very many Bible commentators other 
than Mormons, is to be the eternal home of the blessed. 

Furthermore, as it seems, this salvation, or redemption, of the 
earth from the " curse " need not wait wholly upon the miracu- 
lous interposition of God: man himself is the appointed instru- 
ment of its achievement. He is to figure forth the divine life 
in his own person, and is to make the earth the habitation of a 
redeemed race, which, upon the return of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the resurrection of the righteous, shall be transformed, so 
as to eliminate all traces of the strife and stress under which it 
has suffered hitherto. It will be, in short, a fitting habitation for 
the sons and daughters of God, a material world, but a world of 
refined, perfected, purified material, in which, as in the form of 
a crystal, is to be found the most perfect equilibrium of natural 
forces in matter. This grand idea is expressed among some 
" important items of instruction," given by Joseph Smith, as 
follows : 

" The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth. But they reside 
in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where 
all things for their glory are manifest — past, present, and future, and 
are continually before the Lord. The place where God resides is a 
great Urim and Thummim. 

"This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like 
unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who 
dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or 
all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it ; 
and this earth will be Christ's."— Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. exxx. 
6-9. 



214 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"The spirit and the body is the soul of man. And the resurrection 
from the dead is the redemption of the soul ; and the redemption of the 
soul is through him who quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is 
decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it. There- 
fore it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be 
prepared for the celestial glory; for after it hath filled the measure of 
its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of 
God the Father; that bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may pos- 
sess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, 
and for this intent are they sanctified." — Ibid. Sec. lxxxviii. 15-20. 

In contemplating this noble ideal of the earth's destiny, we 
gain a new insight into the essential relation between righteous- 
ness and the service of God. Mankind are not merely God's 
beneficiaries, but, literally, His coadjutors, His instruments in 
perfecting the work of creation. And this work must occupy 
all their time and efforts. The virtues commanded by the law 
of God are included in the law not because God chose to call one 
thing good and another unlawful, but because, in an order such 
as the present one, certain acts are consistent elements in the 
grand perspective of human and terrestrial perfection and re- 
demption, and others are inconsistent. Thus, as in every har- 
mony, each separate instrument, each particular note, must be 
perfectly attuned to its part in the total effect — otherwise, the 
harmony is imperfect — so each human element in God's grand 
symphony of redemption must take its part perfectly, and in 
complete harmony with all others. We may see, also, that, while 
the importance of the moral virtues, purity, temperance, etc., as 
very real forms of piety — our bodies being " temples of the 
Holy Ghost " — cannot be too highly estimated, it remains true, 
nevertheless, that those which express the " duty to man," jus- 
tice, mutual helpfulness, brotherly kindness, and the like, tradi- 
tionally neglected to so large an extent, are of no lesser im- 
portance or significance. It is a real revelation to the world, this 
proclamation that man must be perfected socially, as well as per- 
sonally: it had been almost altogether forgotten. 

In view of the principles just explained, it seems reasonable 
to assert that we find in this system an idea of the essential na- 
ture of the Church of God which contains notable elements of 
improvement on the one existing in popular acceptation, or un- 
derstanding. We cannot deny that there has been, hitherto, 
altogether too much of a tendency to picture the Church some- 
what under the similitude of a lifeboat filled with the salvage of 
a shipwreck, its passengers receiving their seats and titles to 
safety through " grace " or favoritism, and having as their 
greatest obligation to feel a gratefulness to the Author of their 
rescue. Thus, it is, that, in current estimation, a man " joins 
the Church " for the sole purpose of " saving his soul." It is 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 215 

needless to state that the Biblical authority for this view is ex- 
tremely imperfect; the actual theory of the Church, as found in 
Scripture, being that of a " peculiar people," chosen by God for 
a special work and mission in the world — precisely as He chose 
the descendants of Abraham — and to be favored with special 
instructions for their guidance, and endowed with peculiar gifts 
and capacities for fulfilling the duties specified in this law. In 
other words, instead of a crowd of cowering refugees or sur- 
vivors from some calamitous happening, the Church should be 
considered rather, as in the words of John the Revelator, an 
order of " kings and priests unto God." Nor should it be only, 
considered in this light, in the estimation of its members and 
advocates — it should not be so called, merely, just as one race 
is called Mongols and another Kaffirs, and to be distinguished 
from one another by no evident moral or spiritual orders of 
superiority, apart from their mental and physical attributes — 
but should evidently embody reasonable and effective means for 
rendering them actually capable of embodying, in some measure, 
the qualities involved in kingly and priestly dignities. 

With evident apprehension of some such idea, Mormonism 
postulates directly that the preparation of the individual soul to 
discharge the functions of a true son of God must consist in 
Hiteral exercise of the spiritual endowments specified in Scrip- 
ture. Thus, in the ordinance of the laying-on of hands of the 
Higher Priesthood, a man is believed to receive directly the gift 
of the Holy Ghost, which involves that the divine life is im- 
parted to him, henceforth to dwell in him, and that actually, not 
formally or by imputation merely, he becomes a " new creature " 
.and a " partaker in the divine nature." The awful responsibility 
involved in this new creation of his being must be expressed in- 
evitably in the discharge of the duties and obligation specified in 
the commands of Christ, and foreshadowed in the law of Moses. 
Nor does this indwelling of the Holy Ghost involve merely an 
unconscious formative influence at work in his inward parts, 
resulting in the refined susceptibilities and the " lofty senti- 
ments," which are so habitually associated with the word " spir- 
ituality " in the deliverances of the average religionist. As a 
man is a conscious and rational being, as Christ spoke in plain 
and comprehensible terms, and as it is " impossible to be saved 
in ignorance " — or through any merely " unconscious " and 
" chemicalizing " action or influence — it follows that the prin- 
ciples of the Gospel must be consciously learned, assimilated and 
observed, in order that each child of God may be " conformed 
to the image of His Son." Thus, after all that has been said, 
the true and vital Theology is the " God-science, the formal 



216 THE REAL MORMONISM 

presentation of the truths of life and of religion. And it is an 
essential part of religious life. This explains the meaning of 
Parley P. Pratt, as above quoted, in calling theology the science 
of (i) God-communication, (2) of creation, (3) of knowledge, 
(4) of life, (5) of faith, (6) of spiritual gifts, and (7) " of all 
other sciences and useful arts," which are piously regarded as 
originated and imparted through the communion of divine and 
human spirits. 

For the purpose of effecting this grand result, as, is claimed, 
all the institutions of the Church were organized and are main- 
tained. As a special help, however, we find the ceremony of 
" endowment " is prescribed. This is regularly administered in 
the temples, which are built for this purpose, in addition to the 
special ordinances for the living and the dead, as will be ex- 
plained at a later place. Of the " endowment " ordinances, 
James E. Talmage writes, as follows: 

"The Temple Endowment, as administered in modern temples, com- 
prises instruction relating to the significance and sequence of past 
dispensations, and the importance of the present as the greatest and 
grandest era in human history. This course of instruction includes a 
recital of the most prominent events of the creative period, the condition 
of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience and con- 
sequent expulsion from that blissful abode, their condition in the lone 
and dreary world when doomed to live by labor and sweat, the plan of 
redemption by which the great transgression may be atoned, the period 
of the great apostasy, the restoration of the Gospel with all its ancient 
powers and privileges, the absolute and indispensable condition of per- 
sonal purity and devotion to the right in present life, and a strict com- 
pliance with Gospel requirements. 

". . . the temples erected by the Latter-day Saints provide for the 
giving of these instructions in separate rooms, each devoted to a par- 
ticular part of the course; and by this provision it is possible to have 
several classes under instruction at one time. 

" The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the 
part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law 
of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and 
pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth 
and the uplifting of the race ; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth ; 
and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the 
earth may be made ready to receive her King, — the Lord Jesus Christ. 
With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a 
promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance 
of the conditions. 

". . . In every detail the endowment ceremony contributes to covenants 
of morality of life, consecration of person to high ideals, devotion to 
truth, patriotism to nation, and allegiance to God. The blessings of the 
House of the Lord are restricted to no privileged class; every member 
of the Church may have admission to the Temple with the right to par- 
ticipate in the ordinances thereof, if he comes duly accredited as of 
worthy life and conduct." — The House of the Lord, pp. 99-101. 

In addition to the covenants and blessings of the endowments, 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 217 

all men are expected to enter the priesthood, thus effectually 
identifying themselves with the Church and its interests, and 
engaging to live in accordance with the requirements of the 
Gospel. As provided by the regular grading of offices and func- 
tions, from the lowest in the Aaronic order to the High Priest- 
hood of the Melchisedek order, as will be explained in place, 
this " official " service of God may begin, as is the rule, with a 
boy of twelve or thirteen years of age, and be continued by 
regular successive ordinations to higher and higher functions, 
until the highest office in the gift of the Church may be attained. 
This excellent arrangement, which, if nothing beside, achieves a 
most desirable esprit de corps, cannot fail to give a reality to all 
religious teachings and encouragement in the performance of 
prescribed duties. It literally brings religion into intimate touch 
with everyday life, as is desirable, and is thus, in reality, a most 
effective means for transforming life, society, and, at last, the 
world itself. The " hierarchy " of the Mormon Church is the 
masterpiece of the ages. 

As acknowledged by all unbiased observers, the Mormon peo- 
ple are most serious and earnest in following the law of righteous- 
ness. In no connection is this more evident than in the matter 
of purity, temperance and the social virtues. Drunkenness, 
prostitution, and similar pestilent concomitants of civilization, 
are virtually unknown in communities controlled by them. Nor 
is this anything other than a distinct evidence of the reality of 
their faith to these people, and an argument for the proposition 
that the commands of Christ are capable of being obeyed to the 
letter. Of course, the institution of plural marriage, or polyg- 
amy, will be mentioned as an example of something quite differ- 
ent, but as it is fully discussed and explained in another place, 
it will be needless to do more here than to remark that the in- 
stitution is nowhere unmistakably condemned or forbidden in 
either the Old or the New Testament, and may be shown to have 
been recognized by Christ himself in his discussion of marriage 
and divorce by perfectly evident consistency with the Mosaic law.* 

The most valued and oftenest mentioned revelation among the 
Mormons is the so-called " Word of Wisdom," which expresses, 
if not remarkable scientific foresight, as some argue, at least a 
high ideal of temperance and abstinence, particularly in the 
matters of using artificial stimulants and in the excessive eating 
of meat foods, both very desirable in civilized communities. It 
is as follows: 

" Not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word 

of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal 

* See Note 2 at the end of this volume. 



218 THE REAL MORMONISM 

salvation of all saints in the last days. Given for a principle with prom- 
ise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, 
who are or can be called saints. 

" Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, consequence of evils 
and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men 
in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto 
you this word of wisdom by revelation, that inasmuch as any man 
drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither 
meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together 
to offer up your sacraments before him. . . . And, again, strong drinks 
are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. And, again, 
tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for 
man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judg- 
ment and skill. And, again, hot drinks (tea or coffee) are not for the 
body or belly. And, again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs 
God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man. Every 
herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all 
these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving. Yea, flesh also of 
beasts and of fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of 
man with thanksgiving ; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly ; and it 
is pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times of winter, 
or of cold, or famine. . . . And all saints who remember to keep and 
do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive 
health in their navel, and marrow to their bones, . . . and shall run and 
not be weary, and shall walk and not faint; and I, the Lord, give 
unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as 
the Children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen." — Doctrine and Cove- 
nants, Section lxxxix. 2-5, 7-13, 18-21. 

In the matter of formal righteousness it seems evident that 
the Mormon polity contemplates a literal obedience to the moral 
law, as formulated by Moses, but which it is the duty of the 
follower of Christ to understand in its true relation to the ever- 
lasting Gospel. According to the claim, therefore, that the truth 
of God has been the same in all " dispensations," it is held that 
the essentials of the Mosaic legislation have been specifically re- 
enacted in the Church of to-day. This is exampled in the fact 
that, unlike many other people who claim the name of Christian, 
the Mormons believe that the severe penalties prescribed for 
certain offences under the Mosaic law should, in justice and 
righteousness, still be administered, since, as is frequently stated 
in their literature, such laws and retributions have " never been 
repealed." In a certain very real sense, the Mormon Church 
bears a singular analogy to the Mosaic commonwealth, since in 
both the severest penalties are advocated for the gravest offences, 
but — and this point must be borne in mind — this follows only 
after the utmost provision has been made to cultivate righteous- 
ness of life and to render its exercise easy and " natural " to all. 
In both cases the theory is that heinous offences against God and 
the social order must be severely requited, because " bereft of all 
just excuse." 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 219 

Thus it is that, while preaching a doctrine as nearly like " uni- 
versal salvation " as would be possible in consistence with reason 
and Scripture — and the claim is that the " Gospel is a message 
of salvation, not of condemnation" — the strongest denuncia- 
tions have been launched against the " unpardonable sin," which 
must literally doom its perpetrator to endless banishment from 
the presence of God, among the " sons of Perdition." These 
accursed ones represent, of course, all those whose wickedness is 
irredeemable in all ages of the world, those who have " sinned 
against the Holy Spirit," after having received His blessings and 
presence into their lives. For, as is argued with good consist- 
ency, it is obviously impossible to sin against the Holy Ghost, 
unless He has been already received, or imparted. Under other 
conditions, even the gravest sin is to be compared with the guilt 
of this offence, only because in violence to the fundamental laws 
of being and of human society. In writing of the " sons of 
Perdition," Talmage has the following: 

"These are they who, having learned the power of God, afterward 
renounce it; those who sin wilfully, in the light of knowledge; those 
who open their hearts to the Holy Spirit, and then put the Lord to a 
mockery and a shame by denying it; and those who commit murder, 
wherein they shed innocent blood; these are they of whom the Savior 
has declared that it would be better for them had they never been born." 
— . The Articles of the Faith, p. 62. 

The matter is also explained in the authoritative scriptures: 
" Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who know my power, and 
have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves, through the 
power of the devil, to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my 
power . . . they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of 
God, with the devil and his angels in eternity; concerning whom I have 
said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come, 
having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied 
the Only Begotten Son of the Father — having crucified him unto them- 
selves, and put him to an open shame. These are they who shall go 
away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels, 
and the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power ; yea, 
verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the 
Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath." — Doctrine and Covenants, lxxvi. 
31-38. 

But because, as we may assume, the Church is regarded as the 
visible body and representative of God on earth, and because, 
for that very reason various sins and crimes in its members must 
appear all the more heinous, it is definitely held that such defile- 
ments of the person and of society as adultery and harlotry, as 
well as murder, should be punished with death, even as the law 
of Moses prescribes. Although for offences of lesser gravity 
than murder — offences in which restitution can be made, ap- 
parently — there is distinct provision for forgiveness, even after 



220 THE REAL MORMONISM 

several commissions, the belief that " there is a sin unto death " 
is consistently maintained. Nor may such sin be forgiven or 
atoned, even after repentance, or apparent repentance, except as 
God's law specifies. In this connection emerges the doctrine, 
which, under the title of " blood atonement/' has been wilfully 
and wantonly misrepresented, and made the occasion for mon- 
strous and unprovable charges against the Mormon Church, by 
persons professing acquaintance with the Bible, also a love of 
truth and justice. If represented as a teaching justifying mur- 
der and bloodshed, as has been done too often, it may be stated 
without hesitation that there is no such doctrine. If represented 
as a part of Scripture interpretation, a fresh example of " ultra- 
literalism," possibly, it may be explained and justified from 
authoritative sources. 

Expressed in a few words, the teaching is that, as the Bible 
states, this " sin unto death " may not be included under the 
benefits of Christ's atonement. In it, as it were, a man repeats 
in his own person, and for himself the very sin of Adam — even 
after it had been blotted out by Christ's atonement — that sin 
which entailed banishment of every real sort from the presence 
and favor of God, thus neutralizing Christ's work and contemn- 
ing his love. Hence, according to the standards set up in 
Scripture, the sole hope of forgiveness for such a man lies in the 
shedding of his own blood as a " sin offering " to God. This 
teaching has been expressed several times in the sermons of 
Brigham Young and President Jedediah M. Grant, occasionally 
in picturesque and pointed sentences, which have been widely 
quoted, also garbled and mutilated, for the purpose of evidencing 
false charges against the Mormon Church and its teach- 
ings. The following is the teaching in the words of President 
Young : 

" There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive for- 
giveness in this world, or in that which is to come, and if they had their 
eyes open to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to 
have their blood spilt upon the ground, that the smoke thereof might 
ascend to heaven as an offering for their sins; and the smoking incense 
would atone for their sins, whereas if such is not the case, they (the 
sins) will stick to them and remain upon them in the spirit world. . . . 

"And furthermore I know that there are transgressors, who, if they 
knew themselves, and the only condition upon which they can obtain 
forgiveness, would beg of their brethren to shed their blood, that the 
smoke thereof might ascend to God as an offering to appease the wrath 
that is kindled against them, and that the law might have its course. 
I will say further I have had men come to me and offer their lives to 
atone for their sins. 

"It is true that the blood of the Son of God was shed for sin 
through the fall and those committed by men, yet men can commit sins 
which it can never remit."— Journal of Discourses, Vol. IV, p. 53-54- 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 221 

Were it not for the prodigious mass of misrepresentation of 
this doctrine at the hands of avowed enemies of Mormonism, it 
would be necessary, merely, to mention and explain it among the 
teachings of this system, and pass on to the next subject item. 
Under present conditions, however, it is necessary to go further, 
and demonstrate that, so far as the formal statement is con- 
cerned, this doctrine is entirely scriptural, being evidently de- 
rived from faithful and literal interpretation of the text of the 
Bible, and being in no sense, whatever, " read into " any passage. 
If there is any consistency whatever in the Bible upon the mat- 
ter of sin and transgression, there is nothing more evident than 
the teaching that all transgression of the law of God entails, 
justly and normally, the penalty of death. This is involved in 
the first great commandment to Adam, the penalty for its trans- 
gression being expressed in the words, " In the day that thou eat- 
est thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. ii. 17). According to 
the same sentence, as developed in the Mosaic law, also, even, 
in the sacrificial cults of " heathen " religions, the practice and 
teaching of vicarious sacrifice was established, and the blood of 
an animal victim was shed to atone for the sins of the repentant 
transgressor. According to traditional Christian teaching, also, 
the efficacy of this law of sacrifice is fully recognized, although, 
as taught, abrogated and fulfilled in the atonement of Christ, 
which is held to have been typified by the previous slaughter of 
animal victims, under the Jewish law. The theory in both cases 
is precisely the same as expressed in Leviticus xvii. 11, " for 
the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you 
upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is 
the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." Commenting 
on the foregoing, we find the following from Charles W. Pen- 
rose, now one of the First Presidency of the Mormon Church : 

"Here you see the doctrine of blood atonement laid down, and the 
reason for it. ' The life of the flesh is in the blood/ and it requires 
the shedding of blood to make ' atonement for the soul.' But, . . . the 
blood of every individual man and woman is not required, because of the 
atonement wrought out by Jesus Christ. Here is the cardinal principle 
of the law of God — 'that without shedding of blood there is no remis- 
sion of sins. Therefore, if Christ's blood had not been shed, each indi- 
vidual would have had to have his blood shed, according to Bible doc- 
trine. This may sound very horrifying to some people ; but it is Bible 
doctrine all the same. It is the doctrine of the Old Testament, it is 
the doctrine of the New Testament ; atonement or sacrifice was based on 
this, and this doctrine was practised by the people before the law of 
Moses was given. . . . 

"All those sacrifices which were offered up before Jesus Christ, our 
Redeemer, came into the world were typical of the atonement that He 
was to work out. It was not the shedding of the blood of goats, sheep 
and bullocks upon the altar that made the atonement ; but this was typical 



222 THE REAL MORMONISM 

of the atonement of Jesus Christ in the future, just as we, when we 
partake of the Lord's Supper, have a piece of bread and a cup of water, 
or wine, as the case may be, to represent the atonement wrought out 
in the past. . . . 

" But there are persons who, after having been washed and made clean 
through the blood of Christ, and made members of His Church, again 
commit sin. What about them? Why, if they truly repent, and make 
all the restitution that lays in their power, they may be forgiven, they 
may be cleansed again. But there are some sins that can be committed 
from which they cannot be cleansed by the blood of Christ. After receiv- 
ing the Gospel and entering into sacred covenants with God Almighty, 
after having been enlightened by the spirit of truth, having tasted 
of the good word of God and the power of the world to come; if they 
commit certain sins they cannot gain the remission of those sins 
through the blood of Jesus Christ. That may be a new doctrine to 
many people of the world, but it is an old doctrine to the Latter-day 
Saints, and you can find it laid down distinctly and clearly in the 
Bible." — Blood Atonement, pp. 13, 14, 16-17. 

As explained by Elder Penrose, there is a complete chain of 
Biblical teachings to uphold the allegations here made. He 
quotes the following passages: 

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and 
have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the 
Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers 
of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again 
unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God 
afresh, and put him to an open shame" {Heb. vi. 4-6). "For if 
we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, 
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. . . . He that despised Moses' 
law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much 
sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath 
trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the 
covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done 
despite unto the Spirit of Grace?" {Heb. x. 26, 28-29). "No mur- 
derer hath eternal life abiding in him" (/ John iii. 15). "If any 
man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, 
and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. _ There 
is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All 
unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death." (/ John v. 
16-17.) 

Although, as some may argue, the " sin unto death " mentioned 
in these several connections may indicate such " moral sin/' as 
involves the eternal wrath of God, and which, even in the Catho- 
lic Church, which claims the power to forgive all sins, involves 
the infliction of the severest penances, if there is to be any for- 
giveness whatever, they do not necessarily involve the death pen- 
alty. It is well to reflect, however, that, judging by the words, 
" they crucify . . . the Son of God afresh," etc., many com- 
mentators have concluded that " heresy " and apostasy were spe- 
cifically referred to — and there is room for some such interpre- 
tation — and have made these offenses capital crimes. This 
explains the persecutions of the Middle Ages, the massacres of 



THE ATONEMENT AND DUTY 223 

Anabaptists, Huguenots, etc., the Inquisition, John Calvin's de- 
struction of his friend Servetus, and other truculent doings. 
There have been suggestions also, although not definitely pro- 
mulgated doctrines, that the " martyrdom " of the " heretic " 
might mitigate his sin in the eyes of God. Some have even stated 
that the real object of destroying heretics was to " save their 
souls." Although such an interpretation of Scripture may seem 
" fantastic," it is not inadmissable to argue that any fulfilment 
of the law of God, even in the matter of dealing with murderers, 
and other criminals, involves an opportunity for divine mercy to 
act in the world to come, even though there can be only " jus- 
tice " here. This is the teaching of Mormon commentators, as 
will be seen in the following from Elder Penrose's pamphlet: 
11 In the ancient church of Christ some apostatized, and those who 
came into that church and afterwards fell away, became much worse 
than people who had never tasted of the word of God, nor of the 
power of the world to come. The Apostle Paul writes (/ Cor. v. 3, 5) 
about a gross sin that I need not mention, but he says : 

" ' For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged 
already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath done this 
deed, 

"'To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the 
flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.' 

"I wonder how much our modern Christian friends understand of 
that doctrine. Paul understood it, the Corinthian saints understood 
it. Here was a man who came into the church, received the Holy 
Ghost, was made partaker of the heavenly gift, had rejoiced in the 
truth, and then, through temptation and wickedness, he went into 
corruption, violated the covenants he had made to be true and faith- 
ful to God by ceasing from sin, and committed a gross transgression 
for which he could not have forgiveness — such a one was to be 
delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit 
might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Now, it seems, accord- 
ing to this doctrine of the Apostle Paul, that if that man was destroyed 
in the flesh there would be some chance for him to be saved in the 
day of the Lord Jesus. Why? Because he had made as much atone- 
ment as he possibly could for his sin. He had given his life. What 
is life? The life of the flesh is the blood. So the scriptures say. 
He was delivered over to the bufferings of Satan that he might be 
saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. This is the same as the doctrine 
taught by the Saviour. Brigham Young understood it perfectly. He 
says there are some sins men may commit for which they cannot get 
forgiveness, for which they will have to suffer the penalty in the 
world to come, but if their blood is shed as an offering for their sin, 
their spirits might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus; just exactly 
as the Apostle Paul teaches here, in the text I have read to you. 

"But I want to carry this subject a little further. Suppose we grant 
the position that a murderer is worthy of death, and that he is par- 
ticularly worthy of death if he has been enlightened by the power 
of God and knows the full extent of that great transgression — sup- 
posing we admit that for the sake of argument — the next question that 



224 THE REAL MORMONISM 

arises is, Who is to inflict the penalty? What do our Church laws say 
on this subject. I will refer you to section xlii of the Book of Doc- 
trine and Covenants, and the eighteenth verse: 

"'And now, behold, I speak unto the Church. Thou shalt not kill; 
and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the 
world to come. 

" ' And, again, I say, Thou shalt not kill ; but he that killeth shall 
die.' 

" Here is the law of God to the Church. You know it is represented 
abroad that the Latter-day Saints believe in killing in a great many 
different directions. But here is the law of God to the Church by 
revelation. This is the word of God Almighty to the Saints. This 
law is given to people who have been baptized, who have received the 
Holy Ghost, who have been made partakers of the heavenly gift — 
'Thou shalt not kill; but he that killeth shall die.' But that does 
not answer the question, Who is to inflict the penalty? I will refer 
you to a passage a little further on in the same revelation — section 
xlii, verse 79: 

" ' It shall come to pass, that if any persons among you shall kill, 
they shall be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of 
the land; for remember that he hath no forgiveness, and it shall be 
proven according to the laws of the land.' " — Blood Atonement, pp. 
22-23, 29-30. 

That the foregoing correctly represents the position of Brig- 
ham Young upon the matter, in spite of the garbled quotations 
from his sermons, and the wild and unfounded charges of blood- 
shed and murder instigated by him, we may understand on read- 
ing the whole of the sermons referred to. Then, we shall under- 
stand that he was stating what should be done, if God's law, as 
he understood it to be, were in force, rather than what he in- 
tended to do himself, or, indeed, had done. Thus he deplores 
the fact that the laws of the nations at the present day prevent 
the fulfillment of the righteous laws of God, which were framed 
quite as truly in mercy, as we have seen already, as in justice, or 
in way of inflicting vengeance on the sinner. He says : 

"The time has been in Israel under the law of God, the celestial 
law, or that which pertains to the celestial law, for it is one of the laws 
of the kingdom where our father dwells, that if a man was found 
guilty of adultery, he must have his blood shed. . . . 

" I could refer you to plenty of instances _ where men have been 
righteously slain, in order to atone for their sins. I have seen scores 
and hundreds of people for whom there would have been a chance (in 
the last resurrection there will be) if their lives had been taken and 
their blood spilled on the ground as a smoking incense to the Almighty, 
but who are now angels to the devil until our Elder Brother Jesus 
Christ raises them up — conquers death, hell, and the grave. . . . The 
wickedness and ignorance of the nations forbid this principle's being 
in full force, but the time will come when the law of God will be in 
full force." — Journal of Discourses, Vol IV. pp. 219, 220. 



CHAPTER XVII 

THE DOCTRINES OF RESTORATION, RESURRECTION AND 
SALVATION 

Although, in some aspects of the matter, the strenuous in- 
sistence on the Mosaic law of retributive justice might seem 
needlessly severe, it remains true that, in dealing with human 
nature, a law that is all " love " and no severity is no law at all. 
" Love " and leniency are often confused with laxity and com- 
placence, with the result that the standards of right and truth 
come to be less seriously considered. We can understand some 
of this insistence, when we remember that the Mormon Church 
represents a serious attempt to found an order of social righteous- 
ness and equity. It is also the only one of all so-called Christian 
bodies that includes this social ideal as an essential element of 
its creed. Various persons in other bodies at the present time 
are doubtless attempting to retrieve the historic neglect of this 
branch of effort, and much good work has been begun in various 
quarters, also there is, so we are told, a " general awakening of 
the social conscience," etc. It will be interesting information for 
people working along these lines of effort to learn that the Mor- 
mon Prophet anticipated their movement by over three-quarters 
of a century, and that, whatever their future success, he was 
probably the first man of modern times to found a stable and 
equable social order on a religious basis. 

With the Mormons, however, the restoration of the Law is 
only a part of their grand doctrine of the unity of the Gospel 
throughout all time. As a corollary of this doctrine, they divide 
history into seven separate periods, known as " dispensations " : 
(a) the Adamic; (b) the Enochian; (c) the Noachian; (d) the 
Abrahamic; (e) the Mosaic; (f) the Dispensation of the Merid- 
ian of Time, beginning with the ministry of John the Baptist 
and continued in the work of Christ and His Apostles; (g) the 
Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, consisting in the work of 
the Gospel restored by revelation to Joseph Smith, and to con- 
tinue until the end of the world. 

The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times is characterized by 
a complete restoration of the Gospel after a universal apostasy 

225 



226 THE REAL MORMONISM 

of the church; and, as such, is, in effect, a means of preparing 
the world for the return of Christ as visible judge and ruler, 
and for the events preceding the " last times." The Mormons 
are taught that, like the ancient Israelites, they are a "peculiar 
people," called to a lofty and wonderful mission in the world. 
This inspiring belief, like most of their tenets, is no figure of 
speech, but is accepted as a literal and an essential fact. They 
hold that it is no strain upon revealed truth to believe that the 
blood of the " dispersion of Israel," the " lost tribes of Joseph," 
is demonstrated in those who accept the " fulness of the Gospel," 
as revealed on earth in these " latter days." This is explained 
by Orson F. Whitney, as follows: 

"It must be borne in mind, as a basic fact, upon which to found 
all further argument or theory in relation to the Saints (Mormons) 
and their religion, that they sincerely believe themselves to be liter- 
ally of the blood of Israel; children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, — 
mostly of Joseph through the lineage of Ephraim. The loss of their 
tribal identity, and their scattered state among the nations — whence 
the Gospel, they say, has begun to gather them, — is explained to them 
by the Scriptures, which declare that Ephraim 'hath mixed himself 
with the people'; that is, with other nations, presumably from the 
days of the Assyrian captivity. They believe, moreover, that in this 
age, ' The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times/ — a figurative spiritual 
ocean, into which all past dispensations of divine power and authority 
like rills and rivers run, — it is the purpose of Jehovah, the God of 
Israel, to gather His scattered people from their long _ dispersion 
among the nations, and weld in one vast chain the broken links of the 
fated house of Abraham. . . . This gathering of Israel, they claim, 
is a step preparatory to the 'gathering together in one' of 'all things 
in Christ,' both in heaven and on earth, as spoken of by Paul the 
Apostle. 

"Israel's gathering in the 'last days,' — the closing period of our 
planet's mortal probation, — is a cardinal doctrine of the Latter-day 
Saints, accounting, as it does for their world-wide proselytism, the 
wanderings abroad of their Apostles and Elders in quest of the seed 
of Ephraim, their fellows, and their migrations from the ends of the 
earth to the American Continent, believed by them to be the land of 
Zion. Upon this land, which they hold to be the inheritance of Joseph, 
— 'given him by the Almighty in the blessings of Jacob and Moses 
(Gen. xlix. 22-26; Deut. xxxiii. 13-17), and occupied for ages by his 
descendants, the Nephites and Lamanites (as recorded in the Book of 
Mormon), — is to arise the latter-day Zion, New Jerusalem, concerning 
which so many of the prophet-poets of antiquity have sung. It was 
for this purpose, say the Saints, that the land was held in reserve, hid- 
den forages behind Atlantic's waves — the wall of waters over which, 
in Lehi and his colony, climbed Joseph's ' fruitful bough.' Next 
came the Gentiles, with Columbus in their van, to unveil the hidden 
hemisphere; then a Washington, a Jefferson and other heaven-inspired 
patriots to win and maintain the liberty of the land, — a land destined 
to be 'free from bondage/ And all this that Zion might here be 
established, and the Lord's latter-day work founded and fostered on 
Columbia's chosen soil. Yes, these Latter-day Saints, — false and fa- 



RESTORATION AND SALVATION 227 

natical as the view may seem to most, — actually believe that the greatest 
and most liberal of earthly governments, that of the United States, 
was founded for the express purpose of favoring the growth of what 
the world terms Mormonism. . . . 

" But the gathering of Israel is to include the whole house of 
Jacob; not merely the half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. It 
involves the restoration of the Jews and the rebuilding of old Jeru- 
salem, prior to the acceptance by Judah of the Gospel and mission of 
the crucified Messiah; also the return of the lost Ten Tribes from 
the ' north country.' " — History of Utah, Vol. I, pp. 66-69. 

This, like other Mormon doctrines, is significant as being a 
wonderfully ingenious, even if not a true and authoritative, solu- 
tion of the question as to how the promises of God to Abraham 
and his seed are apparently fulfilled, instead, for the advantage 
of " gentiles," or non-Israelites, who have ever " despitef ully 
used and persecuted " the Chosen Nation, which, meantime, 
seems to have been literally " cut off." To hold that all who 
accept the Gospel in its fulness are actually of the blood of 
Abraham, " after the flesh," through the " dispersion " of the 
" lost Tribes," is both inspiring and illuminating. It follows, 
then, that the " Chosen People of God " are, after all, the first 
care with Him, and ever the real heralds of His will and law. 
Thus, the extensive and persistent missionary activities of this 
people are found to be only movements to assist in the gathering 
of the Lord's chosen from all parts of the world. 

But the missionary duty entailed upon believers in the Latter- 
day Gospel does not stop with the " dispersion of Israel," nor 
yet with the nations of the world. It achieves yet other heights 
and depths in the stupendous doctrine of salvation for the dead. 
This merciful and comforting doctrine offsets effectually the 
hopelessness of the situation of those who have died unrepentant 
or unconverted. Nor does it seem presumptuous to hold that it 
actually illustrates the " loving-kindness " of God, and justifies 
to human reason, at least the statement that " God is love." The 
special application of this doctrine is to two classes, (a) those 
who lived when the Gospel " was not in the earth," and (b) 
those who failed to hear it truly preached in their life-time. 

" From a remark made in the writings of the Apostle Peter we learn 
that after the Messiah was put to death in the flesh 'he went and 
preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, 
when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah.' (I 
Pet. iii. 18, 21.) During the three days, then, that the Messiah's body 
lay in the tomb at Jerusalem, His spirit was in the world of spirits 
preaching to those who had rejected the teaching of righteous Noah. 
The Christian traditions, no less than the scriptures, hold that Christ 
went into hell and preached to those there held in ward. Not only 
is the mere fact of Messiah's going to the spirits in prison stated in 
the scriptures, but the purpose of His going there is learned from the 
same source. ' For this cause was the gospel preached also to them 



228 THE REAL MORMONISM 

that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, 
but live according to God in the spirit.' (I Pet. iv. 6.) This mani- 
festly means that the spirits who had once rejected the counsels of 
God against themselves had the gospel again presented to them and 
had the privilege of living according to its precepts in the spirit life; 
and of being judged according to men in the flesh, or as men in the 
flesh will be judged; that is, according to the degree of their faith- 
fulness to the precepts of the gospel. It should be observed from 
the foregoing scripture that even to those who have rejected the gospel 
in the days of Noah it was again presented by the ministry of the Lord 
Jesus Christ; upon which consideration the following reflection forces 
itself upon the mind: viz. If the gospel is preached again to those 
who have once rejected it, how much sooner will it be presented to 
those who never heard it — who lived in those generations when neither 
the gospel nor the authority to administer its ordinances were in the 
earth. Seeing that those who had rejected it had it again preached 
to them (after paying the penalty for their disobedience), surely those 
who lived when it was not upon the earth or who, when it was upon 
the earth perished in ignorance of it, will much sooner come to 
salvation. 

"The manner in which the ordinances of the gospel may be admin- 
istered to those who have died without having received them is plainly 
stated by Paul. Writing to the Corinthians on the subject of the 
resurrection — correcting those who said there was no resurrection — 
he asks: 'Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, 
if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? 
In this the apostle manifestly refers to the practice which existed 
among the Christian saints of the living being baptized for the dead; 
and argues from the existence of that practice that the dead must 
rise, or why the necessity of being baptized for them. This passage 
of the scripture of itself is sufficient to establish the fact that such an 
ordinance as baptism for the dead was known among the ancient 
saints." — B. H. Roberts (Mormonism, etc., 50-52). 

The practice of this doctrine which claims the same authority 
as the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, involves that some living 
believer shall be baptized as proxy for some one of the dead, 
either for one from among his or her own ancestors, or for any 
other person who died without knowledge of the Gospel in its 
fulness. This is explained by Elder Talmage, as follows: 

"The redemption of the dead will be effected in strict accordance 
with the law of God, which is written in justice and framed in mercy. 
It is alike impossible for any spirit, in the flesh or disembodied, to 
obtain even the promise of eternal glory, except on condition of 
obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. And, as baptism is 
essential to the salvation of the living, it is likewise indispensable to 
the redemption of the dead. . . . The necessity of vicarious work is 
here shown, — the living laboring in behalf of the dead; the children 
doing for their progenitors what is beyond the power of the latter to 
do for themselves. . . . 

"The plan of God provides that neither the children nor the fathers 
can alone be made perfect; and the necessary union is effected through 
baptism and associated ordinances for the dead. The manner in which 
the hearts of the children and those of the fathers are turned toward 
one another is made plain through these scriptures. As the children 



RESTORATION AND SALVATION 229 

learn that without the aid of their progenitors they cannot attain 
perfection, assuredly will their hearts be opened, their faith will be 
kindled, and good works will be attempted, for the redemption of 
their dead; and the departed, learning from the ministers of the 
gospel laboring among them, that they must depend upon their children 
as vicarious saviours, will seek to sustain their still . mortal represen- 
tatives with faith and prayer for the perfecting of those labors of 
love. . . . 

" The results of such labors are to be left with God. It is not to be 
supposed that by these ordinances (baptism, laying-on of hands and 
the 'higher endowments') the departed are in any way compelled to 
accept the obligation, nor that they are in the least hindered in the 
exercise of their free agency. They will accept or reject, according 
to their condition of humility or hostility in respect to things divine; 
but the work so done for them on earth will be of avail when whole- 
some argument and reason have shown them their true position." — 
— Articles of Faith, pp. 152-156. 

The ordinances for the dead are performed in the temples 
maintained by the Latter-day Saints, and are frequently attended 
to by persons known as " temple-workers," who are regularly 
" set apart " for this form of service, although any members of 
the Church in good standing may enter the Temple and fulfil the 
ordinances for his deceased ancestors and other relatives. The 
work of vicarious baptism is always superintended by some elder, 
who administers the rite, and complete records are kept of all 
ceremonies, with the names, or identities, of all departed bene- 
ficiaries. 

Roberts, concluding a brief summary of the doctrine of salva- 
tion for the dead, remarks: 

"There must be a sealing and binding together of all the generations 
of men until the family of God shall be perfectly joined in holiest 
bonds and ties of mutual affections. These ordinances attended to on 
earth by the living, and accepted in the spirit world by those for 
whom they are performed, will make them a potent means of salva- 
tion to the dead, and of exaltation to the living, since the latter become 
in very deed ' saviors upon Mount Zion.' This work that can be 
done for the dead enlarges one's views of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
One begins to see indeed that it is the 'everlasting gospel'; for it 
runs parallel with man's existence both in this life and in that which 
is to come." — Mormonism, p. 53. 

Speaking of the twofold character of this work, both in this 
world and in the world of spirits, Talmage writes : 

"How often do we behold friends and loved ones, whom we count 
among earth's fairest and best, stricken down by the shafts of death, 
seemingly in spite of the power of faith and the ministrations of the 
priesthood of God! Yet who of us can tell but that the spirits so 
called away are needed in labor of redemption beyond, preaching per- 
haps the gospel to the spirits of their forefathers, while others of the 
same family are officiating in a similar behalf on earth?" — Articles 
of Faith, p. 156. 

When one considers the absurd and ignorant criticisms made 



&30 THE REAL MORMONISM 

on this doctrine by persons professing a knowledge of Scripture, 
it will seem surprising, doubtless, that it is a teaching of the 
greatest vitality, held in the very highest esteem among the Lat- 
ter-day Saints. It is to them a veritable sacrament of grace, 
the " sign of a divine and spiritual grace." Thus, instead of the 
threats of hopeless perdition for those who have not heard the 
Gospel in this world, we find that " the hearts of the children are 
turned to the fathers " in a very real and inspiring sense. The 
following examples of the vital character of this belief are sig- 
nificant : 

" Let me ask those who look upon Joseph Smith as an imposter, why 
should an imposter bother himself with such a work as the salvation 
of the dead? Let the world cite an instance of an imposter engaging 
in such a work. No, if, Joseph Smith had been an imposter he would 
have devoted his time and attention to the living. But the redemp- 
tion of the dead was one of the most important parts of Joseph Smith's 
mission. He urged it strongly upon the Saints, declaring that they 
without their dead could not be made perfect. The Church has not 
for a single day lost sight of this work. Temples have been erected 
at enormous cost and sacrifice in which the ordinances necessary for 
the redemption of the dead have been and are being performed, and 
tens of thousands of dollars and years of precious time have been 
spent by the Saints in searching for the genealogies of their deceased 
relatives, in order that they might become their saviors. 

" One day while in England I met an old gentleman who told me 
he had traveled over seven thousand miles in the hope that he might 
obtain the genealogies of his deceased relatives, so that he could per- 
form the work for them in the temple. For years this old man had 
lived the life of a sheep herder, out on the desert in all kinds of 
weather, for days alone, with not a human being to speak to him. 
All this time his thoughts were upon one thing — the redemption of 
his kindred dead. The loneliness he endured, the hardships he suf- 
fered, were swallowed up in the joy he felt as he looked forward 
to the day when he would have sufficient means to enable him to go 
back to the land of his forefathers to gather genealogies. His faith- 
ful labors were rewarded. He obtained hundreds of names, and since 
his return to Utah has been working in one of the temples, officiating 
in behalf of his departed kindred. 

"Another case comes to my remembrance. It is that of a young 
woman and her mother who embraced the gospel in Switzerland and 
came to Utah a number of years ago. For over two years these 
faithful souls lived almost on bread and water in order to save means 
to send back to their native land to pay for genealogical work. They 
were rewarded with a record of a thousand names. 

" Many similar instances could be cited. It is the testimony of 
thousands who have embraced the Gospel of Christ revealed through 
Joseph Smith, that just as soon as they accepted the Gospel, and began 
to partake of its spirit and blessings, just so soon did their hearts turn 
to their fathers who had died without having heard of the restoration 
of the gospel. And in many instances this was the case before the 
converts had heard of such a thing as salvation for the dead. 

" Who was it, I ask, that put this spirit into the hearts of the Latter- 
day Saints? Who was it that has performed this wonderful work — 
the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts 



RESTORATION AND SALVATION 231 

of the children to the fathers? Was it Joseph Smith? No, it would 
have been impossible for Joseph Smith or any other man to have 
done such a thing. It is the Lord who has done it. It was He who 
devised the glorious plan of salvation for the dead. It was He who 
sent Elijah the prophet to Joseph Smith with the keys of this blessed 
dispensation. Therefore, let His name be praised, and at the same 
time let the name of the Prophet Joseph Smith be glorified." — William 
A. Morton {Young Woman's Journal, September, 1913, pp. 553-554) • 
This doctrine, coupled with that of the " eternity of the mar- 
riage covenant," cannot fail to render belief in a future life un- 
usually real and certain. It involves that, not only shall those 
at present alive, if faithful to the Gospel, attain eternal life, but 
also that their family relations shall be perpetuated — the fathers 
and mothers with their children to all eternity, and the descend- 
ants with their remote ancestors, also; great families in the 
Everlasting Kingdom. Whatever objections one may urge 
against this belief, or against the authority which bases it, there 
can be no doubt that it represents as true and inevitable, under 
the conditions specified, precisely the sort of immortality that 
most people of really human sentiments sincerely hope may be 
theirs. Because, however, the rite of eternal marriage may be 
celebrated only in the temple, and at the hands of the priesthood 
of God, it follows that those ancestors who have been made par- 
takers in the benefits of Christ's atonement through proxy bap- 
tism, must also be sealed by proxy in eternal marriage, and have 
their children sealed to them also. There can be no doubt that 
all this vastly enforces belief in the reality of a future life, as 
well as of the Church's divine mission and authority in this. 

The doctrine of the condition of the blessed in the eternal life, 
as held in the Latter-day theology is an elaborate and inspiring 
one : moreover, as with very many of the other " Mormon " doc- 
trines, it seems to be founded on the same implicit belief in the 
literal truth of Scripture statements, without either evasion or 
qualification. Briefly characterized, it may be said to teach uni- 
versal salvation, without encountering the difficulties of " Univer- 
salism," and to teach the eternal punishment of the finally repro- 
bate, without imposing statements of doctrine, difficult or impos- 
sible to reconcile with humanly intelligible notions of divine love 
and justice. 

As a prelude to the final conditions of all mankind, it is taught 
that there are three separate resurrections of the dead. One 
widely accepted teaching on this matter is thus set forth in the 
words of Parley P. Pratt, who, contrary to the opinion ex- 
pressed by some other writers, believes that the first resurrection 
is already past. 

"The first general resurrection took place in connection with the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ. This included the Saints and Prophets 



232 THE REAL MORMONISM 

of both hemispheres, from Adam down to John the Baptist; or, in 
other words, all those who died in, Christ before His resurrection. 

" The second will take place in a few years from the present time, 
and will be immediately succeeded by the coming of Jesus Christ, in 
power and great glory, with all His Saints and angels. This resur- 
rection will include the Former and Latter-day Saints, all those who 
have received the Gospel since the former resurrection. 

"The third and last resurrection will take place more than a thou- 
sand years afterwards, and will embrace all the human family not 
included in the former resurrection or translations. . . . 

" In the resurrection which now approaches, and in connection with 
the glorious coming of Jesus Christ, the earth will undergo a change 
in its physical features, climate, soil, productions, and in its political, 
moral and spiritual government. 

" Its mountains will be leveled, its valleys exalted, its swamps and 
sickly places will be drained and become healthy, while its burning 
deserts and its frigid polar regions will be redeemed and become tem- 
perate and fruitful. 

"Kingcraft and priestcraft, tyranny, oppression and idolatry will 
be at an end, darkness and ignorance will pass away, war will cease, 
and the rule of sin and sorrow and death will give place to the reign 
of peace and truth and righteousness. 

" For this reason, and to fulfill certain promises made to the fathers, 
the Former and Latter-day Saints included in the two resurrections, 
and all those translated, will then receive an inheritance on the earth, 
and will build upon and improve the same for a thousand years." — Key 
to Theology, pp. 138-140. 

According to the position of individual souls in one or another 
of the resurrections here specified, the last of which takes place 
at the end of the world and the beginning of eternity, their con- 
dition is determined in the kingdom of God. Here, also, as 
indicated in I Corinthians xv. 40-42, there are grades of glory 
and degrees of salvation, which are designated in Pauline phrase 
as (1) the Celestial Glory; (2) the Terrestrial Glory; (3) the 
Telestial Glory, the last term indicating Paul's reference to the 
" glory of the stars " — the word, " telestial " being derived, 
evidently, from the Greek word, telos, meaning " fleet," " flock," 
etc., referring to the vast number of stars. 

The Celestial Kingdom is, of course, the highest of all, in- 
cluding all those of whom it is said they shall be " partakers in 
the Divine Nature" (II Peter i. 4); "partakers of His holi- 
ness" (Hebrews xii. 10); who shall "see Him as He is" (II 
John iii. 2) ; to whom it is granted to sit with Christ upon His 
throne (Revelation iii. 21) ; and who have been made one with 
the Godhead, even as Christ and the Father are one (John xvii. 
21-23). These are called, accordingly, " gods," after the author- 
ity of Christ's words in John x. 34-36. The conditions requisite 
for an inheritance in this " kingdom " are as follows : 

"And again we bear record, for we saw and heard, and this is the 
testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who come forth 



RESTORATION AND SALVATION 233 

in the resurrection of the just; they are they who received the tes- 
timony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after 
the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and 
this according to the commandment which he has given, that by keep- 
ing the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all 
their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying-on of hands 
of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power, and who over- 
come by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the 
Father sheds forth upon all who are just and true. They are they 
who are the church of the first born. They are they into whose hands 
the Father has given all things — they are they who are Priests and 
Kings, who have received of his fullness, and of his glory, and are 
Priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchisedek, which was 
after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only 
Begotten Son; wherefore, as it is written, they are Gods, even the 
sons of God — wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death, 
or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are 
Christ's and Christ is God's. And they shall overcome all things; 
wherefore let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, 
who shall subdue all enemies under his feet — these shall dwell in the 
presence of God and his Christ for ever and ever. These are they 
whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of 
heaven, to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who 
shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who shall 
come forth in the resurrection of the just. These are they who are 
come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the 
heavenly place, the holiest of all. These are they who have come to 
an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church 
of Enoch, and of the first born. These are they whose names are 
written in heaven, where Christ and God are the judge of all. These 
are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator 
of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through 
the shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are 
celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the 
highest of all." — Doctrine and Covenants, lxxvi. 51-70. 

The highest glories and exaltations are all reserved for those 
counted worthy to inherit the Celestial glory. It is the Heaven 
of the Blessed par excellence, and here all the powers and capaci- 
ties of the human spirit shall receive the greatest development 
of which it is capable. 

The Terrestrial Glory, which, according to the understanding 
of Paul's words in I Corinthians xv., corresponds to the " glory 
of the moon," is inherited by those who have lived righteously 
without the law of God and by those who have not earned the 
fullest blessing by hearing the highest testimony under Law and 
Gospel conditions, as explained in the following from the same 
revelation as quoted above: 

"And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these 
are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of 
the church of the first born, who have received the fullness of the 
Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firma- 
ment. Behold, these are they who died without law, and also those 
who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and 



234 THE REAL MORMONISM 

preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according 
to men in the flesh, who received not the testimony of Jesus in the 
flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who are honorable 
men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men. These 
are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fullness. These are 
they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fullness of 
the Father; wherefore they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies 
celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun. These 
are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore they 
obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God." — Ibid. 71-79. 

The Telestial Glory is inherited by those who have committed 
sins and crimes, not of an unpardonable description, and who 
have suffered the wrath and just punishment of God, " until the 
resurrection," as is explained in the same revelation as is quoted 
above, in the following words : 

" And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of 
the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the 
glory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received not 
the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are they 
who deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down 
to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, 
until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb shall 
have finished his work. These are they who receive not of his fullness 
in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministra- 
tion of the terrestrial; and the terrestrial through the ministration 
of the celestial; and also the telestial receive it of the administering 
of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed 
to be ministering spirits for them, for they shall be heirs of salvation. 
. . . These all are they who will not be gathered with the saints, to be 
caught up into the church of the first born, and received into the cloud. 
These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whore- 
mongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. These are they who 
suffer the wrath of God on earth. These are they who suffer the 
vengeance of eternal fire. These are they who are cast down to hell and 
suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fullness of times when Christ 
shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected 
his work, when he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the 
Father spotless, saying — I have overcome and have trodden the wine- 
press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Al- 
mighty God.— Ibid. 81-88, 102-107. 

In all these states which are designated as " kingdoms " or 
"glories,'' it is understood that the inhabitants shall reside in a 
state of blessedness and happiness to eternity, the divine element 
in each soul being realized in life as far as the conditions in 
which he has lived on earth will permit. In other words, the 
doctrine of salvation as here developed, is that all mankind shall 
receive of God " as they are able." Howbeit, only in the Celes- 
tial Kingdom is the direct presence and glory of God to be en- 
joyed, and it is confidently expected that all who desire to live to 
please Him shall strive to earn this exaltation. In the other 
kingdoms, while the inhabitants enjoy evidences of the love and 



RESTORATION AND SALVATION 235 

mercy of God, through the " ministering of angels," they are 
not admitted to His Presence, nor do they see Him. Their 
happiness is, therefore, of a lesser quality than that of the Celes- 
tial Kingdom, and not at all that which the pious soul is naturally 
moved to desire — the presence and favor of God. The Teles- 
tial world, composed of those, as explained, who have committed 
grievous sins, " not unto death," is comparable to the somewhat 
merciful concession of mediaeval theologians, the levissima dam- 
natio, the " easiest room in hell." Because, however, as specified, 
Christ's Gospel is a message of Salvation, not of condemnation, 
the " lightest degree of damnation " of mediaeval theologians, 
appears here as the " lowest grade of salvation." From the 
point of view of the most ideal piety, the distinction is one of 
terms, rather than of ideas, since the soul is shut out from sight 
of God, except for the fact that all men in the Latter-day 
theology are considered to be proper sons of God, and heirs of 
life, unless irredeemably rebellious and guilty of the sin which 
" hath no forgiveness, neither in this world, neither in the world 
to come." 

According to this theology, also, there is a hell, and a very real 
one, reserved for the unpardonable, irredeemable and incor- 
rigible. (Cf. Jude, n-13.) These are the ones described and 
specified in the great revelation above quoted, in the following 
words : 

"And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who 
was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the 
Only Begotten Son, whom the Father loved, and who was in the 
bosom of the Father — was thrust down from the presence of God 
and the Son, and was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over 
him — he was Lucifer a son of the morning. And we beheld, and 
lo, he is fallen! is fallen! even a son of the morning. . . . Wherefore 
he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasses them round 
about. And we saw a vision of the sufferings of those with whom 
he made war and overcame, for thus came the voice of the Lord 
unto us. Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who know my 
power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered them- 
selves through the power of the devil, to be overcome, and to deny 
the truth and defy my power — .they are they who are the sons of 
perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to 
have been born, for they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the 
wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity; concerning 
whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the 
world to come, having denied the Holy Spirit after having received 
it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father — having 
crucified him unto themselves, and put him to an open shame. These 
are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with 
the devil and his angels, and the only ones on whom the second death 
shall have any power; yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be 
redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his 
wrath; for all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of 



236 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was 
slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were 
made. 

"And this is the gospel, the glad tidings which the voice out of 
the heavens bore record unto us, that he came into the world, even 
Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to cleanse it from all un- 
righteousness; that through him all might be saved whom the Father 
had put into his power and made by him, . . . ; wherefore, he saves 
all except them: they shall go away into everlasting punishment, 
which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels 
in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, 
which is their torment; and the end thereof, neither the place thereof, 
nor their torment no man knows, neither was it revealed, neither is, 
neither will be revealed unto man, except to them who are made 
partakers thereof : . . . wherefore the end, the width, the height, the 
depth, and the misery thereof, they understand not, neither any man 
except them who are ordained unto this condemnation." — Ibid. 25-27, 
29-42, 44-46, 48. 






IV 



MORMON MARRIAGE INSTITUTIONS 



" The great problem of humanity . . . the development of each individuality to its 
highest possibility. . . . That polygamy, wisely and faithfully practiced, will be a grand 
factor in bringing to pass this millennium of usefulness and happiness, I sincerely 
believe."— Susa Young Gates. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

PLURAL MARRIAGE AND THE POSITION OF WOMEN AMONG THE 

MORMONS 

The Mormon institution of polygyny, or, as it is preferably 
termed, " plural marriage," was, as we are told, founded in 
obedience to the commands of a divine revelation to the Prophet 
Joseph Smith about 1832. Although this revelation was not 
committed to writing until over ten years later, its principles 
were imparted to several of the Prophet's close associates before 
that date, and its provisions were actually being obeyed by many 
leaders of the Church many years before its formal promulgation 
in Utah in 1852. 

Undoubtedly, this institution is, and always has been, the 
sorest occasion of opposition and criticism of the Mormon 
Church and its members. Except for it, the task of appealing 
for justice for them at the bar of conscience would have been un- 
speakably easier: their many excellent traits would undoubtedly 
have compelled the respect of fair and candid minds long before 
this date. It remains, however, for the world in general pre- 
cisely what, as history records, it was, in the beginning, to the 
" Saints " themselves, a veritable " stone of stumbling and rock 
of offence." Indeed, if the doctrine and practice of this " prin- 
ciple " were not believed to be of divine origin, its establishment 
must have seemed to be the worst possible tactical blunder in the 
leaders of a people, who had already suffered as much persecu- 
tion as could be possible in Nineteenth Century America. 

However, we find that devout Mormons, women as well as 
men, speak of plural marriage as a " holy order," an eminent 
means of blessing, both personal and social; something, in fact, 
closely analogous to the several sacraments of traditional Chris- 
tianity. This fact cannot fail to be a surprise to the general 
reader. We know that there are, and have been, very many 
systems of religious teaching, as well as many systems of civil 
law, that have not only " allowed " the practice of polygyny, or 
polygamy, but have provided distinctly for its maintenance. But 
there is a difference between merely asserting that it is right for 

239 



240 THE REAL MORMONISM 

a man to have a plurality of wives and the apparent attribution 
of a very real form of blessedness to such as take them, even 
with the authority of the Priesthood of God. The truth of the 
matter is that the Mormon estimate of this institution makes it 
an actual means of grace, an eminent instrument for the salva- 
tion of souls. Just as they hold most strenuously to the doc- 
trine of salvation of the dead by means of proxy baptism, just 
so, with the belief in preexistence, as already explained, they 
consider it an act of eminent piety to provide for the birth of a 
human soul under the fullness of Gospel influences. That the 
birth of as many souls as possible under such conditions will 
hasten the redemption of humanity, and of the world, is an evi- 
dent corollary to the high importance attached to life on earth 
in the teachings of the Mormon system. In this aspect of the 
matter, it is easy to see how that parenthood could be made to 
assume the aspect of a high virtue, involving that a person who 
had brought many souls into life was entitled to honor, as an 
instrument in God's hands in the grand work of populating the 
world with a race, whose leading attribute is the possession of 
the divine Spirit. Because, however, the child-bearing capacity 
of the average woman is limited, it is evident that the only avail- 
able means by which a worthy man could multiply his offspring 
would be by taking to himself a plurality of wives. Nor, with 
this aim in view, is the usual cavilling charge of " sensuality " 
in such a relation at all well taken. 

The doctrine of plural marriage among the Mormons is also a 
part or incident of a really grand and impressive concept, the 
eternity of the marriage relation for all such as are joined and 
" sealed " by the authority of God's priesthood. Not only does 
this doctrine involve implicit belief in the promise that "what- 
soever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven " (Matt, 
xvi. 19), as applied to the supreme authority of the Church, but 
also that those so married for eternity shall become the pro- 
genitors of multitudinous blessed offspring in the world to come. 
They partake, therefore, in the creative function of Deity. 
There is much in such a teaching to appeal strongly to the imag- 
ination and the sentiments of normal minds. 

The revelation embodying the doctrine of " Celestial Mar- 
riage," or marriage for eternity, is to be found in the Book of 
Doctrine and Covenants, Section cxxxii, bearing date July 12, 
1843. The crucial passages of this document are as follows : 

"And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are 
these : — All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, . . . that are not 
made, and entered into, and sealed, by the Holy Spirit of promise, of 
him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, . . . 
whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have 



PLURAL MARRIAGE 241 

appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, 
and there is never but one on the earth at a time, on whom this power 
and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, 
virtue or force, in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all 
contracts that are not made unto this end, have an end when men are 
dead. . . . Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and 
he marry her not by me, nor by my word; and he covenant with her 
so long as he is in the world, and she with him, their covenant and 
marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out 
of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are 
out of the world; therefore, when they are out of the world, they 
neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in 
heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those 
who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight 
of glory; for these angels did not abide my law, therefore they cannot 
be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in 
their saved condition, to all eternity, and from henceforth are not gods, 
but are angels of God, for ever and ever. . . . And again, verily I say 
unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and 
by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the 
Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have 
appointed this power, and the keys of this Priesthood; and it shall be 
said unto them, ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if 
it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall 
inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all 
heights and depths ... it shall be done unto them in all things what- 
soever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity, 
and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they 
shall pass by the angels, and the Gods, which are set there, to their ex- 
altation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, 
which glory shall be a fullness and a continuation of the seeds forever 
and ever. Then shall they be Gods, because they have no end; there- 
fore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue ; 
then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. . . . 

"Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of 
his loins, — from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph, — which 
were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching 
Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in 
the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as 
the stars ; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the sea shore, ye could 
not number them. This promise is yours, also, because ye are of Abra- 
ham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law are the 
continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself. 
Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law, 
and ye shall be saved. But if ye enter not into my law ye cannot receive 
the promise of my Father, which he made unto Abraham. . . . 

" David's wives and concubines were given unto him, of me, by the 
hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the 
keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me, 
save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen 
from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit 
them out of the world ; for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord. . . . 

" And verily, verily I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on earth, 
shall be sealed in heaven ; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name, 
and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the 



242 THE REAL MORMONISM 

heavens ; . . . and whosesoever sins you retain on earth, shall be retained 
in heaven. . . . 

" And again, as pertaining to the law of the Priesthood : If any man 
espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her 
consent; and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have 
vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery, 
for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that 
that belongeth unto him and to no one else; and if he have ten virgins 
given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong 
to him, and they are given unto him, therefore is he justified." 

It is evident that the leading points set forth in these passages 
are : ( i ) that a contract of marriage " for time and for all eter- 
nity " can be ratified only by the authority of God's priesthood, 
which has been restored in and through Joseph Smith; (2) that 
such authority and promise was given to the ancient patriarchs, 
specifically to Abraham; (3) that the priestly authority, vested 
in the ancients, and restored in Joseph Smith, can permit a 
restoration of polygynous marriages, also, as among the patri- 
archs of old time; (4) that the promise to Abraham, " concerning 
his seed ... as innumerable as the stars, ... is yours, also, 
because ye are of Abraham." Holding, as it did, that the highest 
evidence of God's blessing on earth lies in obeying the primeval 
command to Adam, and begetting a numerous and godly off- 
spring, which, also, should continue to increase in eternity, this 
teaching formed the basis of a very real religious impulse. 

Quite apart from the religious or moral significance of this 
" principle," there can be no doubt that it is a " social phase " 
of eminent interest. For, unless all indications are misleading, 
it furnished a good working solution of the so-called " sex prob- 
lem," which is a serious consideration in all rational humani- 
tarian minds not dominated by unreasoning dogmatic tradi- 
tions. Such candid minds know perfectly well that the many 
grave questions involved in the relations of the sexes must one 
day be met and grappled; also, that traditional notions have not 
evidently contributed to any permanent solution of the involved 
difficulties. The Mormon solution presented several conspicuous 
advantages which will be appreciated by the sociologist. Among 
these were specified: 

" The right and privilege of every honorable woman to be a wife and 
mother, which in monogamy, under existing conditions, preponderance 
of women over men, disinclination of men to marry, etc., was virtually 
denied: the extirpation of the social evil; the production of a healthier 
posterity, and the physical, mental and moral improvement of the race. 
These were among the temporal or tangible reasons put forth." — O. F. 
Whitney (History of Utah, Vol. I, p. 212.) 

That polygyny, as practiced by the Mormons, actually embodied 
these very desirable advantages is a fact to which competent 
observers bear testimony. That these advantages are of a real 



PLURAL MARRIAGE 243 

and universally intelligible character, whether or not secured by 
polygynous relations, can be denied by no sociologist whatever. 
The assertion of the right of every good woman to the hallowed 
joys of wifehood and maternity is alone inestimable. The vir- 
tual abrogation of this right under prevailing social institutions 
has worked unmixed misery to multitudes of good women, and 
is rapidly becoming a matter of prime gravity to society as a 
whole. Both the physiologist and the sociologist know perfectly 
well that with the normal woman the supreme demand is for 
maternity, also that a woman devoid of maternal instinct is a 
sad and pitiable being. The constantly increasing number of 
unmarried women, particularly in America, indicates a condition 
by no means healthy or desirable. Such women, often driven to 
seek unnatural substitutes for the normal occupations of life, 
expend their energies in the various feminist movements of the 
day, which, apart from any good sought or achieved, nurture 
the common vice of asserting the " cause " of woman against 
man, thus merely complicating the sorrows and difficulties of an 
already unstable social order by antagonism to nature's arrange- 
ments, which is both preposterous and deplorable. The outlook 
for the race, whose mothers are maturing under such an influ- 
ence, filled with the false ideas of life, inevitably derived from 
those who have not properly experienced it, must be dubious in- 
deed. It is interesting to note, however, that, while, under Mor- 
mon influences, women first received the right to vote, also, the 
first impulse to combine in distinctively feminine organizations 
for charity, mutual improvement, and other activities, there never 
was a " woman movement " among these people, nor any agita- 
tion for the " rights " of the sex, otherwise, supposedly, to be 
withheld by the " selfishness of men," as the perverse expression 
has it. Not only do the women of this people average high in 
all qualities classed as " womanly," but they are, and always have 
been the strongest advocates of the " plural order." Also, while, 
as a rule, trained and educated to independence and self-reli- 
ance, they have maintained a nearly uniform enthusiasm for 
home duties and the training and rearing of children that might 
well be advertised as " worthy of all acceptation." Mormonism 
has achieved the virtue of mutual confidence and cooperation be- 
tween the sexes, and has provided to avoid the monstrous per- 
versity, commonly known as " sex-consciousness " among wanton 
agitators. 

As an illustration of the grounds on which Bishop Whitney 
and others claim that the practice of plural marriage operated to 
" extirpate the social evil " the following quotation is eminently 
suggestive. In the Mormon, published in New York City, March 



244 THE REAL MORMONISM 

24, 1855, this may be found under the caption " Mormonism 
Revised " : 

"The Boston Herald of the 15th inst, under the above heading has the 
following : ' On Tuesday morning last, Henrietta Podaf ew, a very little 
woman, was brought before Judge Spooner, in Cincinnati, charged with 
having attempted to force herself into a permanent residence at the 
houses of four different married gentlemen. It appears that she had 
been the extra wife of each of these gentlemen for some time, and has 
two children belonging to the quartette, and thinking it her right, she 
sought to establish her home in the house of either one of them; the 
four wives made a common cause of it, and united in a complaint against 
Henrietta, who was sent to the county residence, provided by law for 
offenders/ 

"The writer must be wofully ignorant of Mormonism, or being him- 
self a monogamist, of the kind specified in this article, shrinks from the 
responsibility of his darling institution by making Mormonism his scape- 
goat. I would say to him, 'Don't take the advantage, Mr. Herald, of 
Mormon liberality, and ride to death the free " Pegasus/' ' To show 
the writer his mistake we will compare his notes with Mormonism, under 
the legal restriction of Monogamy. 

" One woman clandestinely becomes the dishonored wife of four dis- 
honorable men. Mormonism unclandestinely makes four women the 
honored wives of one honorable man. 

" Monogamy keeps one wife in the house, and turns the rest out of 
doors to suffer unsheltered and unprotected: Mormonism provides for 
them all, and treats them kindly and impartially. 

" Monogamy floods society with illegitimate children having no ostensi- 
ble father, unprotected, uneducated, and unprovided for: Mormonism 
requires that every man shall provide for his own offspring, in everything 
that shall qualify them to become honorable men and women in society. 

"Monogamy puts a Henrietta in the county jail, for claiming the sup- 
port of her children, at the hands of their father, and allows the father 
freedom to continue his clandestine operations : Mormonism allows the 
right to a mother to claim the support of her children at the hands of 
their father. 

" Monogamy, owing to its narrow, contracted matrimonial relations, on 
the one hand, throws the mantle of charity over adultery, with great mag- 
nanimity : on the other hand, Mormonism, liberal in its matrimonial rela- 
tion, holds the adulterer, or adulteress, to be _ worthy of death (according 
to the laws of God), but owing to the prejudices of the age, they are 
cut off from Mormonism, and permitted to depart immediately to those 
countries, where the results of monogamic laws make their cause more 
tolerable. 

" If this brief contrast meets the eye of the writer in the Herald, he 
will no doubt see his mistake, and, if honest, will head his next article 
of like character, ' Monogamy Illustrated/ instead of ' Mormonism Re- 
vised/ " 

President John Taylor is quoted as speaking to precisely sim- 
ilar effect, as follows: 

"You acknowledge one wife and her children; what of your other 
associations unacknowledged ? We acknowledge all of our wives and all 
of our children : we don't keep a few only and turn the others out as out- 
casts, to be provided for by orphan asylums, or to turn out vagabonds 
on the street to help increase the fearfully growing evil. Our actions 
are all honest, open and above board. We have no gambling hells, no 



PLURAL MARRIAGE 245 

drunkenness, no infanticides, no houses of assignation, no prostitutes. 
Our wives are not afraid of our intrigues and debauchery, nor are our 
wives and daughters corrupted by designing and unprincipled villains. 
We believe in the chastity and virtue of woman, and maintain them. 
There is not to-day in the wide world a place where female honor, virtue 
and chastity are so well protected as in Utah." — Quoted in Utah and its 
People, by a Gentile, (1882). 

This claim that plural marriage operates to neutralize the 
social evil, which seems to have been more or less borne out by 
the testimony of numerous observers, requires some further 
explanation. The thought most immediately occurring to the 
candid mind is that this good result followed from Mormon- 
ism's frank recognition of the facts of life, which is only an- 
other way of saying that polygny — even if not polygamy — is 
a general practice among civilized and Christian, as well as 
among uncivilized and heathen peoples, and that the sanest and 
wisest policy is to recognize and justify it, rather than to manu- 
facture sin and crime by foolishly attempting to ignore nature. 
In this particular the assumed revelation to Joseph Smith is dig- 
nified by its analogy to the consistent policy of the Mosaic Law, 
which made every concession to human frailties and propensities 
before decreeing punishments that often seem unduly severe. 
It may be objected to this line of reasoning that the wayward 
tendencies, often found in the male human, should be discour- 
aged and reprobated, rather than considered in any dignified 
light. An evident answer to this must be that, first, the facts of 
life demand attention, rather than any theory as to what should 
exist, and, second, that the evils of society quite as frequently 
result from attempts to achieve artificial virtues as from any 
real native depravity of human nature itself. If society, with 
assumed consistency to a lofty ideal of right, chooses to decree 
that the inborn tendency of the individual to beget his kind, in- 
stead of being guided in proper and normal channels, by observ- 
ance of nature's decrees, shall be allowed to involve conditions 
that end in social ostracism, misery, disease and death, we must 
blame the stupid short-sightedness of society for the result, which 
all right-minded people cannot help but deplore. The inevitable 
conclusion must be that prostitution and other orders of per- 
versity are recognized and established institutions of society, also 
that the most wicked and abandoned individual cannot be blamed 
for all the evil which he or she commits. It cannot be ration- 
ally denied that the wisest policy is to contrive for some method 
of maintaining natural tendencies on the lines in which the 
Creator evidently intended that they should be expressed, thus 
avoiding the sad results of misuse. Some such idea as this is 
developed in the following passage, quoted by Mrs. Helen Mar 



'246 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Whitney, a Mormon writer, from a work entitled, History and 
Philosophy of Marriage: 

"'A woman's instincts revolt against the thought of a plurality of 
husbands, and judging his feelings by her own, she cannot see how a 
man can want, or at least can love a plurality of wives. But, as this 
point involves a constitutional difference of sex, it is one in which we 
must be aware that our feelings cannot guide us. A man can never 
know the infinite tenderness and the infinite patience of a mother's love, 
except imperfectly, by reason and observation. His experience does not 
teach him. His paternal love does not resemble it. So a woman can 
never know the purity and sincerity of a man's conjugal love for a 
plurality of wives, except by similar observation and reason. Her con- 
jugal love is unlike it. Her love for one man exhausts and absorbs 
her whole conjugal nature: there is no room for more. And if she 
receives the truth that his nature is capable of a plural love, she must 
attain it by the use of her reason, or admit it upon the testimony of hon- 
est men.' 

"This is correct reasoning (says Mrs. Whitney) but I confess that 
it has been a very great puzzle to me ; and only by using my reasoning 
faculties and by the testimony of my husband and other honest men 
could I bring myself to admit it. But if my life depended upon giving 
a true testimony concerning my belief and practice in the order of plural 
marriage, I could not now contradict these statements, but must still 
acknowledge the truth of them. 

"'Great men are always polygamists (continues the quotation), . . . 
no matter under what social system they may live, . . . even though they 
transgress the laws of ordinary social life, . . . and it is a shame and 
a pity that our social laws cannot be so amended, and brought into 
harmony with those of God and nature, that our noblest men would yield 
them the most prompt obedience. And is it not a sad pity, a burning 
shame, and a fearful wrong that our laws are such that men cannot 
acknowledge their mistresses, and avow their children? The wrongs 
of these women and children are crying to God from the ground, and 
he will hear and judge. These great men are brave; but they are not 
brave enough. They have no just right to practice their polygamy in 
in the dark. Let us have either an honest monogamy or an avowed 
polygamy. Hence it is that I am called by the justice of God and the 
sufferings of humanity to appeal to every honorable sentiment in man- 
kind in behalf of a greater freedom to marry, and a greater purity in 
the marriage relation. Let us have such marriage laws, that whatever 
relations any honorable man shall determine to form with the opposite 
sex can be honorably formed and honorably maintained.' " — Why We 
Practice Plural Marriage, pp. 50-52. 

Such a line of reasoning will undoubtedly be met with grave 
and displeased objections by a very large number of readers. 
There is no use, however, in concealing facts, for the sake of up- 
holding even the most attractive theory, and, whatever may be 
one's prejudices or predilections, there can be no doubt in any 
honest mind that an institution, ensuring the happiness and well- 
being of as many women and children as possible, even if that 
institution be plural marriage itself, is unspeakably superior to 
any other whatsoever, which does not always contrive to pro- 
tect such persons from misery and death, as the result of sup- 



PLURAL MARRIAGE 247 

posed wrongdoing. When we consider further that the Bible 
contains not one unmistakable word in condemnation of plural 
marriage, it is evident that " scriptural consistency " cannot be 
urged as a valid argument against it. 

It is a sad and sickening comment on our alleged sense of 
right that any intelligent person can accept the unspeakable con- 
ditions of our present social order, as inevitable, and displays 
the impudence to declare unrighteous and intolerable any insti- 
tution that gives any promise of neutralizing these. Whether, 
or not, sins against the august nature of the procreative instinct, 
including the dreadful crimes of infanticide and foeticide, are 
damnable in all their phases, and whether, or not, they manifest 
solely in detestable types of individuals, the fact remains that 
they continue to be committed, and that they form already a 
menace to the life of civilization itself. This fact is ably set 
forth in the following quotation from W. E. H. Lecky, the Eng- 
lish historian: 

"There are two ends which a moralist . . . will especially regard — 
the natural duty of every man doing something for the support of the 
child he has called into existence, and the preservation of the domestic 
circle unassailed and unpolluted. The family is the center and the arche- 
type of the state, and the happiness and goodness of society are always 
in very great degree dependent upon the purity of domestic life. The 
essentially exclusive nature of marital affection, and the natural desire 
of every man to be certain of the paternity of the child he supports, 
render incursions of irregular passions within the domestic circle a 
cause of extreme suffering. Yet it would appear as if the excessive 
force of these passions would render such incursions both frequent and 
inevitable. 

" Under these circumstances, there has arisen in society a figure which 
is certainly the most mournful, and in some respects the most awful, 
upon which the eye of the moralist can dwell. That unhappy being 
whose very name is a shame to speak; who counterfeits with a cold 
heart the transports of affection, and submits herself as the passive 
instrument of lust; who is scorned and insulted as the vilest of her sex, 
and doomed, for the most part, to disease and abject wretchedness and 
an early death, appears in every age as the perpetual symbol of the 
degradation and the sinfulness of man. Herself the supreme type of 
vice, she is ultimately the most efficient guardian of virtue. But for her, 
the unchallenged purity of countless homes would be polluted, and not 
a few who, in pride of their untempted chastity, think of her with an 
indignant shudder, would have known the agony of remorse and despair. 
On that one degraded and ignoble form are concentrated the passions 
that might have filled the world with shame. She remains, while creeds 
and civilizations rise and fall, the eternal priestess of humanity, blasted 
for the sins of the people." — History of European Morals, Vol. II, pp. 
284-285. 

If the fact that a nominally Christian writer can thus enlarge 
upon any condition existing in a social order also nominally 
Christian, is tolerable to any person possessing one spark of 



248 THE REAL MORMONISM 

human sentiment, there is no more to be said. What are we to 
say of persons, who, finding such results involved in Christian 
society, conceive no suspicion that there is something radically 
wrong with our standards of right and justice? In the discus- 
sion of such a matter as the present one, however, we rapidly 
outride the limits of Mormonism or anti-Mormonism, and emerge 
upon a basis of fact in which the rights of mankind and the 
stability of the social order are the paramount considerations. 
In this connection, therefore, it is proper to affirm that true 
civilization must inevitably achieve the heights of intelligence 
and sanity in which one form of plural marriage, polygamy or 
polygyny — call it what one may — shall be established and en- 
forced: this is that the father of any child that may be proved 
to be his shall be compelled to acknowledge and provide for it 
and its mother, according to the righteous statute of the Mosaic 
Law, " He shall surely endow her to be his wife, and shall not 
put her away all his days." 

The claim that Mormon plural marriage was conducive to 
" the production of a healthier posterity, and the physical, mental 
and moral improvement of the race" is partially elucidated in 
the following passage quoted from a capable and unbiassed ob- 
server of the workings of the Mormon system : 

"The literalism with which the Mormons have interpreted Scripture 
has led them directly to polygamy. The texts promising to Abraham a 
progeny numerous as the stars above or the sands below, and that "in 
his seed (a polygamist) all the families of the earth shall be blessed," 
induce them, his descendants, to seek a similar blessing. The theory an- 
nouncing that ' the man is not without the woman, nor the woman with- 
out the man/ is by them interpreted into an absolute command that both 
sexes shall marry, and that a woman cannot enter the heavenly kingdom 
without a husband to introduce her. . . ; The ' chaste and plural mar- 
riage,' being once legalized, finds a multitude of supporters. The anti- 
Mormons declare that it is at once fornication and adultery — a sin which 
absorbs all others. The Mormons point triumphantly to the austere 
morals of their community, their superior freedom from maladive influ- 
ences, and the absence of that uncleanness and licentiousness which dis- 
tinguish the cities of the civilized world. They boast that, if it be an 
evil, they have at least chosen the lesser evil ; that they practice openly 
as a virtue what others do secretly as a sin — how full is society of 
these latent Mormons ! — that their plurality has abolished the necessity 
of concubinage, cryptogamy, contubernium, celibacy, marriages du 
treizieme arrondissement, with their terrible consequences, infanticide, 
and so forth ; that they have removed their ways from those ' whose end 
is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword/ 

" There are rules and regulations of Mormonism — I can not say 
whether they date from before or after the heavenly command to plural- 
ize — which disprove the popular statement that such marriages are 
made to gratify licentiousness, and which render polygamy a positive 
necessity. All sensuality in the married state is strictly forbidden beyond 
the requisite for insuring progeny — the practice, in fact, of Adam 



PLURAL MARRIAGE 249 

and Abraham. During the gestation and nursing of children, the strict- 
est continence on the part of the mother is required — rather for a 
hygienic than for a religious reason. The same custom is practiced in 
part by the Jews, and in whole by some of the noblest tribes of savages ; 
the splendid physical development of the Kaffir race in South Africa is 
attributed by some authors to a rule of continence like that of the 
Mormons, and to a lactation prolonged for two years. The anomaly of 
such a practice in the midst of civilization is worthy of a place in 
Balzac's great repertory of morbid anatomy : it is only to be equaled by 
the exceptional nature of the Mormon's position, his past fate and his 
future prospects. Spartanlike, the Faith wants a race of warriors, 
and it adopts the best means to obtain them." — Richard F. Burton 
(City of the Saints, pp. 427-429). 

To precisely similar import is the following passage from 
another observer, equally candid, unprejudiced and careful. He 
writes : 

" Physically, Mormon plurality appears to me to promise much of 
the success which Plato dreamed of, and Utah about the best nursery 
for his soldiers that he could have found. Look at the urchins that go 
clattering about the roads, perched two together on the bare backs of 
horses, and only a bit of rope by way of bridle. Look at the rosy, 
demure little girls that will be their wives some day. Take note of their 
fathers' daily lives, healthy outdoor work. Go into their homes and see 
the mothers at their work. . . . And then as you walk home through one 
of their rural towns along the tree-shaded streets, with water purling 
along beside you as you walk, and the clear breeze from the hills blowing 
the perfume of flowers across your path in gusts, with the cottage homes, 
half smothered in blossoming fruit-trees, on either hand, and a per- 
petual succession of gardens, — then, I say, come back and sit down, if 
you can, to call this people * licentious/ ' impure,' ' degraded.' " — Phil 
Robinson (Sinners and Saints), p. 97. 

The sociologist can feel no emotion other than real joy in 
learning that any sect, or body of people, claiming a standing as 
Christians, has departed so far from the discredited and footless 
principle of " other-worldliness," as actually to profess a vital 
interest in the improvement of the human race — not only soci- 
ally and morally, by strong organization and cooperation and a 
consistent advocacy of lofty principles of righteousness, but even 
physically, also — by advocating, and enforcing, so far as is pos- 
sible, so sane and hygienic an order of continence as that men- 
tioned by Mr. Burton. That this line of conduct is, and always 
has been, preached and advocated by Mormon teachers and au- 
thorities, and followed to the letter by the best among them, is a 
truth which can not be denied by any candid and unprejudiced 
investigator. 



CHAPTER XIX 

WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 

As is familiar to anyone who has read the current literature 
on Mormonism or the " Mormon problem," so-called, an im- 
mense amount of unsolicited sympathy has been lavished upon 
the presumed sufferings of Mormon plural wives. The women 
of America, deceived by the false opinions circulated by biassed 
observers and professional anti-Mormons, have frequently 
united in petitions to Congress, and in movements, intended to 
be benevolent, with the sole intent to deliver their " downtrodden 
sisters" from the thraldom of an institution, popularly classed 
with slavery as the " twin relic " of barbarism. However, the 
" downtrodden sisters " of Mormondom, far from welcoming, or 
even secretly conniving at, any of these well-intentioned med- 
dlings, on their behalf, have invariably protested as emphatically 
as could be possible, bearing impassioned and eloquent testimony 
to what, as they assert, are the positive benefits of the institu- 
tion to womankind. Nor were these protests against the efforts 
of would-be saviors uttered by women of the so-called " lower 
classes," they whose ignorance of life and general dependent con- 
dition would render them convenient tools of an " ambitious and 
tyrannical priesthood." Few, if any, of these humble souls have 
emerged from their lowly surroundings to " root " for their 
" priests." On the other hand, the strongest utterances of the 
kind have come from the women of prominent families, who in 
a discouragingly large percentage of cases have been of the 
highly-educated and finely-sensitive stock of the "best families 
of New England." 

All this argues very definitely to several evident conclusions: 
first, that the presumed religious basis, upon which rests the 
institution of plural marriage, is really and vitally religious; 
second, that the institution evidently involves actual and valuable 
advantages for womankind — whatever may be the disadvantages 
— being in no sense rooted in the selfishness and self-indulgence 
of man, as variously alleged; third, that, as shown by the testi- 
monies of its women, the claims of Mormonism to restoring 

250 



WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 251 

woman to her proper place in the social order have some elements 
of justification. 

Among other reflections that force themselves upon the candid 
mind is that it is, with the most doubtful propriety imaginable, 
that the male portion of a community could be credited with any 
intelligible worldly advantage from the inauguration of such an 
institution as plural marriage. From the point of view of the 
ordinary man, few prospects could be less attractive, or more 
fraught with the certainty of vexation, than the effort — unceas- 
ing and result! ess, if one may judge from the sentiments of the 
average woman — to adjust and reconcile the conflicting claims 
and inevitable quarrels of several openly-acknowledged wives. 
Should the public relations of any man of ordinary calibre with 
several women be primarily other than normal and righteous, 
such interfeminine disagreements must be seriously aggravated 
by his own present feelings of preference or distaste in any given 
case. Thus, the polygynous household must quickly disintegrate 
through satiety, mutual quarrels, and defections. That such un- 
happy consequences were rare among Mormons constitutes a 
very strong and definite evidence that their claims to religious 
consistency and pure, normal sentiment in these unions are 
amply justified. 

Touching the mutual relations of husband and wives in these 
polygynous unions, the following from an article by Mrs. Susa 
Young Gates, a daughter of Brigham Young, is significant: 

"The statement that polygamy will make a god of a man argues 
nothing to me. My frank opinion is that men will necessarily be god- 
like who enter heaven, where will dwell woman, the purer and better 
part of humanity. The care of a large family naturally increases a 
man's anxieties and capabilities ; and it is these very forces which unite 
to ennoble and elevate any man who accepts them cheerfully and fulfills 
them faithfully. 

" What woman's respect would not deepen for the man she saw guard- 
ing her own feelings tenderly while still gentle and kind to the young 
wife recently taken beneath his roof ; who would measure every act, 
weigh every word, that no heart given into his keeping might unneces- 
sarily suffer? Would she not reverence the man who sought to soothe 
every heartache and bind up every wound made by this new order of 
things? She might, she certainly would, suffer in giving up a share of 
that time and attention that had been all her own, but her love and 
esteem would deepen for him who had asked and obtained her willing 
consent, and who then helped her to gradually rise from under Mother 
Eve's curse, and find that life had also problems, aims, and paths for her 
in which to awaken and develop the gifts and talents given her by a wise 
Father. He, also — would he not find his loving devotion deepened 
every hour for the noble woman who had consented to this thing that 
they might be spiritually blessed thereby — seeing her kindness, her for- 
bearance, her growing affection for the young wife, who, in her turn was 
sinking selfishness in this struggle for the highest and the best — would 
he not feel that God had blessed him above his expectations ? 



252 THE REAL MORMONISM 

" Nowhere on the face of this wide earth is the love of husbands for 
their wives and wives for their husbands so intense, so thrilling, and so 
divine as it is here in Utah. Men go by hundreds into prisons, by thou- 
sands into willing exile, rather than sacrifice the hearts of their beloved 
companions. Women cheer them in this determination, separating for 
this life in the glad hope of an eternal reunion, which no law, no court 
of public opinion, can ever deny them. To be true in this life through 
trial and separation is preferred by these faithful people to the breaking 
of solemn covenants. 

" In connection with this idea of the undue exaltation of the husband, 
and consequent debasement of the wives, let me offer an illustration. 
When a body of American people unite as a State and elect a Governor, 
they choose a man because of his honor, integrity and superior intelli- 
gence. In the same way Mormon women select a husband. The affec- 
tions of the people twine around their chosen head, if he is worthy, and 
his presence is welcomed and courted everywhere. It is so with Mor- 
mon husbands." — Family Life Among the Mormons, (North American 
Review, March, 1890, p. 348.) 

While it is necessary to a complete understanding of the insti- 
tution of plural marriage to explain the religious basis upon which 
it was professedly founded, this is by no means the most interest- 
ing phase of the matter to the average reader. The point of 
greatest interest, undoubtedly, to such a one is the effect of the 
practice upon the women involved, and their opinions of its 
operation, together with such data on their intelligence and ex- 
perience, as would give a clue to the competency of their testi- 
mony, either for or against the facts alleged. In the course of 
such an inquiry we shall discover frank acknowledgments of the 
fact that the practice of the institution, at the start at least, was a 
" burden grievous to be borne," but nearly uniformly the testi- 
mony follows that, having taken up this cross, from a strong 
sense of right and duty, the ultimate consequence was a compen- 
sation of greater joy and peace than had seemed, otherwise, 
possible. This allegation follows, of course, upon the consist- 
ently religious regard for the institution, which alone served to 
vitalize it. The Mormon wife was willing, for the sake of her 
religion, to undergo the inevitable sorrow of sharing the husband, 
whom she loved, with yet other women, and to battle with the 
impulses of jealousy and resentment, even of an intrusion fully 
permitted and connived at. Whether such a sacrifice was neces- 
sary in them, or in any other women is immaterial: it demon- 
strated the power of religion to strengthen the human spirit for 
patient suffering, also, to compensate, with greater blessings, for 
the things shared and the sentiments sacrificed. It is scarcely 
remarkable, therefore, that we hear the familiar tribute to Mor* 
mon wives — " the world never saw such women before " — quite 
as though their characters, " made perfect through suffering," 
displayed the glory of womanhood at its highest reach. 



WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 253 

This must be to non- Mormon readers nearly the strangest thing 
about the whole matter. Some of them will undoubtedly balk at 
the story of sorrow and crosses, and forget the story of the 
" higher compensations " achieved through these. But we must 
not forget that any effort to " live religion " inevitably involves 
sacrifice and suffering. Even with the abolishment of polygyny, 
or of any other social custom, for that matter, this law is not 
abrogated. If from this institution arose the only crosses ever 
laid upon the back of woman, we might well condemn it, but the 
case is far otherwise. The reality of religious conviction is 
demonstrated solely in its power, under any or all circumstances, 
to lend the ability to suffer and achieve. Certainly, the Mormon 
wives and mothers suffered no more under the regime of polyg- 
yny than at the hands of their sectarian persecutors, long before 
such an institution was dreamed of among them. 

As a notable example of the nearly mystical exaltation in which 
some of the earlier Mormon wives entered into this " order," the 
testimony of Mrs. Bathsheba W. Smith is significant. She 
writes : 

" Immediately after my marriage, my husband, as one of the apostles 
of the Church, started on a mission to some of the Eastern States. . . . 
He returned in the fall; soon after which we were blessed by receiving 
our endowments, and were sealed under the law of celestial marriage. I 
heard the prophet Joseph charge the twelve with the duty and responsi- 
bility of administering the ordinances of endowments and sealing for 
the living and the dead. ... I heard the prophet give instructions con- 
cerning plural marriage; he counseled the sisters not to trouble them- 
selves in consequence of it, that it would be all right, and the result 
would be for their glory and exaltation. . . . Being thoroughly con- 
vinced, as well as my husband, that the doctrine of a plurality of wives 
was from God, and having a fixed determination to attain to celestial 
glory, I felt to embrace the whole Gospel, and believing that it was for 
my husband's exaltation that he should obey the revelation on celestial 
marriage, that he might attain to kingdoms, thrones, principalities and 
powers, firmly believing that I should participate with him in all his 
blessings, glory and honor; accordingly, within the last year, like Sarah 
of old, I had given to my husband five wives, good, virtuous, honorable 
young women. They all had their home with us ; I being proud of my 
husband, and loving him very much, knowing him to be a man of God, 
and believing he would not love them less because he loved me more for 
doing this. I had joy in having a testimony that what I had done was 
acceptable to my Father in Heaven." — The Women of Mormondom, 
(Tullidge), pp. 319-321. 

The testimony of Mrs. Smith, who was, if we may judge from 
her record, as noble and thoroughly Christian soul as ever lived, 
introduces wifely devotion in a new' and strange light. What- 
ever may have been her pangs when, " like Sarah of old," she gave 
her husband " five wives, good, virtuous, honorable young women," 
she has nothing to say about them. Evidently, the doctrine of 



254 THE REAL MORMONISM 

eternal marriage afforded her some valuable consolations, as re- 
gards the next world and its glories, as a partial compensation, at 
least, for her sorrows and sacrifices — if she so viewed them — 
in this. 

Quite as affecting is the fervid testimony of Phoebe Carter 
Woodruff, the first wife of President Wilford Woodruff, who 
also accepted the plural " order," and gave her husband several 
other wives. She is quoted as follows : 

"When the principle of polygamy was first taught I thought it the 
most wicked thing I ever heard of ; consequently I opposed it to the best 
of my ability, until I became ill and wretched. As soon, however, as I 
became convinced that it originated as a revelation from God through 
Joseph, and knowing him to be a prophet, I wrestled with my Heavenly 
Father in fervent prayer, to be guided aright at that all-important mo- 
ment of my life. The answer came. Peace was given to my mind. I 
knew it was the will of God; and from that time to the present I have 
faithfully sought to honor the patriarchal law. 

" Of Joseph my testimony is that he was one of the greatest prophets 
the Lord ever called; that he lived for the redemption of mankind, and 
died a martyr for the truth. The love of the Saints for him will never 
die. ... Of my husband I can truly say, I have found him a worthy 
man, with scarcely his equal on earth. . . . He has been faithful to God 
and his family every day of his life. My respect for him has increased 
with our years, and my desire for an eternal union with him will be the 
last wish of my mortal life." — Ibid., pp. 413-414. 

No one could possibly believe that such a tribute to a husband, 
as closes this quotation, could have been made by a noble and 
intelligent woman, unless their relations, in the plural order, had 
been in all particulars, both inspiring and exemplary. It is evi- 
dent that this Mormon institution is valuable in teaching us some 
new and surprising facts about human nature and its capabilities. 
Nor were Mrs. Woodruff's expressions of devotion confined to 
the mystical anticipations of bliss in the life to come. In 1870, on 
the occasion of a mass meeting of women, called to protest against 
the proposed provisions of the Cullom bill, she spoke as follows : 

" Whatever may be the final result of the action of Congress in passing 
or enforcing oppressive laws, for the sake of our religion, upon the noble 
men who have subdued these deserts, it is our duty to stand by them and 
support them by our faith, prayers and works, through every dark hour, 
unto the end, and trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to de- 
fend us and all who are called to suffer for keeping the commandments 
of God. Shall we, as wives and mothers, sit still and see our husbands 
and sons, whom we know are obeying the highest behest of heaven, 
suffer for their religion, without exerting ourselves to the extent of our 
power for their deliverance? No; verily no! God has revealed unto 
us the law of the patriarchal order of marriage, and commanded us to 
obey it. We are sealed to our husbands for time and eternity, that we 
may dwell with them and our children in the world to come ; which guar- 
antees unto us the greatest blessings for which we were created. If the 
rulers of this nation will so far depart from the spirit and letter of our 
glorious constitution as to deprive our prophets, apostles and leaders of 



WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 255 

citizenship, and imprison them for obeying this law, let them grant this, 
our last request, to make their prisons large enough to hold their wives, 
for where they go we will go also." — Ibid., p. 400. 

On the same occasion, Mrs. Hannah T. King, also speaking of 
the proposed provisions of the Cullom bill, spoke as follows : 

" Who, or what,, is the creature who framed this incomparable docu- 
ment ? . . . What isolated land produced him ? What ideas he must have 
of women ! Had he ever a mother, a wife, or a sister? In what academy 
was he tutored, or to what school does he belong, that he so coolly and 
systematically commands the women of this people to turn traitors to 
their husbands, their brothers and their sons? . . . Let us, the women 
of this people — the sisterhood of Utah — rise en masse, and tell this 
non-descript to defer 'the bill' until he has studied the character of 
woman, such as God intended she should be; then he will discover that 
devotion, veneration and faithfulness are her peculiar attributes; that 
God is her refuge, and his servants her oracles; and that, especially, 
the women of Utah have paid too high for their present position, their 
present light and knowledge, and their noble future, to succumb to so 
mean and foul a thing as Baskin, Cullom & Co's bill. Let him learn 
that they are one in heart, hand and brain, with the brotherhood of Utah 
— that God is their father and their friend — that into his hand they 
commit their cause." — Ibid., pp. 398-399. 

Among further accounts of the personal experiences of Mor- 
mon wives under the regime of plural marriage, the testimony of 
Mrs. Mary A. Freeze bears unmistakable evidence of true con- 
viction. She writes : 

" In the spring of 187 1, my husband, a faithful man, desirous of keep- 
ing all the commandments of God, saw fit, with my full consent, to take 
to himself another of the daughters of Eve, a good and worthy girl, 
Jane Granter by name. It tried my spirit to the utmost endurance, but 
I always believed the principle to be true, and felt that it was time we 
obey that sacred order. The Lord knew my heart and desires, and was 
with me to overcome the selfishness and jealousy of my nature. With 
his help, added to the great kindness of my husband, who has ever stood 
at the head of his family as a wise and just man, I soon obtained 
peace. . . . 

" My husband has since taken two other wives, and I praise the Lord 
that I have so far overcome, that instead of feeling it to be a trial, it 
has been a source of joy and pride that we were counted worthy to have 
such noble girls enter our family. The two last were my counselors in 
the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association of our ward. I 
have loved the wives of my husband as I would have my own sisters, 
realizing that the power of the Holy Priesthood that has bound us to- 
gether for time and eternity is stronger than kindred ties. Sophia lived 
with me nearly seven years; she died December, 1879, which was one 
of the greatest trials of my life. I could as willingly have parted with 
one of my own daughters. She left me a beautiful boy who seems as 
near to me as my own. I wish to bear testimony to my descendants, 
and to all who may read this sketch, that I know by the power of the 
Holy Ghost which bears testimony to my spirit, that the Patriarchal Or- 
der of Marriage is from God, and was revealed for the exaltation of 
the human family, also that I have had peace, joy and satisfaction in 
living in that Order such as I had never known before; and have had 
many proofs that God will pour out his blessings upon those who keep 



256 THE REAL MORMONISM 

his laws, seeking him with full purpose of heart, for he will be sought 
after by his children. — Representative Women of Deseret, {Augusta 
Joyce Crocker on) , p. 54. 

In similar vein we find the testimony of Mrs. Louis Felt, who 
has been for many years president of the Primary Associations 
of the Mormon Church. She writes : 

"I became a member of the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement As- 
sociation, and thereby received a better understanding of my religion, 
which brought me peace and happiness, such as I had never known be- 
fore. I also became thoroughly convinced of the truth of the principle 
of celestial marriage, and having no children of my own was very de- 
sirous that my husband should take other wives that he might have a 
posterity to do him honor, and after he took another wife and had chil- 
dren born to him, the Lord gave me a mother's love for them; they 
seemed as if they were indeed my own, and they seem to have the same 
love for me that they do for their own mother." — Ibid., p. 58. 

To this testimony Mrs. Crocheron adds the following comment, 
which seems worthy repetition : 

" I have seen the real mother in this family rocking her babe to sleep, 
and the other mother — Louie — would sit beside her and hold one little 
hand, or lay her own upon its little head, and it would quietly resign itself 
to sleep, so closely were all these three true hearts united in love." 

Mrs. Felt's experience, which must seem nearly unique to the 
non-Mormon reader, is undoubtedly true and certainly adds ma- 
terially to the evidence already cited, that polygynous marriage 
may present opportunities for valuable unsuspected consolations, 
also for the propagation of unfamiliar and noble forms of virtue. 
When we consider that every one of the women giving these 
testimonies belongs to the intelligent and self-respecting class, and 
are, one and all, persons of the highest character, each of them a 
recognized leader among her fellows, the conclusion is inevitable 
that we have here records of actual experiences and honest con- 
victions. In considering the sorrows and trials, to which they 
confess, it must be carefully remembered that such experiences 
are by no means peculiar to a polygynous order of marriage, also, 
that the real issue is precisely on the question as to how far insti- 
tutions claiming religious authority should be allowed to control 
human behavior and to neutralize the selfishness and other short- 
comings of the " natural man," for the sake, either, of real ad- 
vantages to humanity at large, or the attainment, as believed, of 
higher blessings in the world to come. We hear a great deal of 
talk about the virtue of self-denial, but when we see an eminent 
example of it, we complain and condemn. So, we do not want 
self-denial, after all. 

The peaceful, even loving, cohabitation and association of 
plural wives was an experience sufficiently common to be called 
" the rule." Many tales of this are told, both by the wives them- 



WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 257 

selves, and also by first-hand observers. The following quotation 
from the account written by Mrs. Sarah A. Peterson, is unusually 
interesting in this connection : 

" In the fall of 1857 my husband added another wife to his family ; but 
I can truly say that he did not do so without my consent, nor with any 
other motive than to serve his God. I felt it our duty to obey the com- 
mandment revealed through the prophet Joseph, hence, although I felt it 
to be quite a sacrifice, I encouraged him in so doing. Although not so 
very well supplied with house-room, the second wife and I lived together 
in harmony and peace. I felt it a pleasure to be in her company, and 
even to nurse and take care of her children, and she felt the same way 
toward me and my children. A few years afterwards my husband mar- 
ried another wife, but also with the consent and encouragement of his 
family. This did not disturb the peaceful relations of our home, but 
the same kind feelings were entertained by each member of the family 
to one another. We have now lived in polygamy twenty years, have 
eaten at the same table and raised our children together, and have never 
been separated, nor have we ever wished to be." — Women of Mor- 
mondom, p. 467. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Birch writes with similar conviction and effect : 
" In 1858, my husband having become convinced that the doctrine of 
celestial marriage and the plurality of wives was true, instructed me in 
regard to it; and becoming entirely convinced that the principle is not 
only true, but that it is commanded, I gave my consent to his taking an- 
other wife, by whom he had one daughter; and again in i860 I consented 
to his taking another one, by whom he had a large family of children. 
These children we have raised together, and I love them as if they were 
my own. Our husband has been dead two years, but we still live together 
in peace, and each contributes to the utmost for the support of the 
family." — Ibid., pp. 470-471. 

In addition to these accounts of personal experiences, we find 
that the women of Mormondom were completely convinced that 
the institution of plural marriage was an eminent means of beget- 
ting a noble posterity. Nor can there be the slightest doubt that 
the basis of this judgment was the sane and exemplary continence 
mentioned by Mr. Burton. In reading these testimonies the 
conclusion is inevitable that in them we have to do with pure and 
noble women, whose highest worldly aspiration was to become the 
mothers of a perfected humanity. In these days, after the 
" righteous wrath " of the American people has succeeded in sup- 
pressing plural marriage as an institution of society, it is a 
familiar experience to hear the lament, " Why could they not have 
left us alone? We were hoping to beget the noblest and best 
race of people that ever lived on earth." In harmony with these 
convictions we find the testimony of Mrs. Zina D. Young, a wife 
of President Brigham Young, and one of the reputed widows of 
the Prophet Joseph Smith. On the occasion of one of the several 
mass meetings of women, held in Salt Lake City, Nov. 16, 1878, 
she "spoke as follows : 



258 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"The principle of our religion that is assailed is one that lies deep 
in my heart. Could I ask the heavens to listen ; could I beseech the earth 
to be still, and the brave men who possess the spirit of a Washington to 
hear what I am about to say. . . . Would that ... the Congress of the 
United States, the lawmakers of our nation could produce a balm for 
the many evils which exist in our land through the abuse of virtue, or 
could so legislate that virtue could be protected and cherished as the 
life which heaven has given us. We, in common with many women 
throughout our broad land, would hail with joy the approach of such de- 
liverance, for such is the deliverance that woman needs. The principle 
of plural marriage is honorable ; it is a principle of the Gods ; it is heaven 
born. God revealed it to us as a saving principle ; we have accepted it 
as such, and we know that it is of him, for the fruits of it are holy. . . . 
We are proud of the principle, because we know its true worth, and we 
want our children to practice it, that through us a race of men and women 
may grow up possessing sound minds and bodies, who shall live to the 
age of a tree." 

In similar vein the noted poetess, Eliza R. Snow, known as 
Mormonism's " high priestess," and another of the Prophet's 
plural wives, defends the institution, as follows : 

"I believe in the principle of plural marriage just as sacredly as I 
believe in any other institution which God has revealed. I believe it to 
be necessary for the redemption of mankind from the low state of cor- 
ruption into which it has sunken. . . . Virtue is the foundation of the 
prosperity of any nation; and this sacred principle of plural marriage 
tends to virtue, purity and holiness." 

The strangest thing about the whole doctrine and practice of 
plural marriage will probably seem the fact that it is seriously 
recommended as the best means, ever made available, for the 
complete elevation of woman. This claim is set forth by Mrs. 
Gates, in the article already quoted : 

" Statistics will bear me out in saying that there are fewer paupers, 
fewer criminals, fewer insane among polygamous than among monoga- 
mous families. It is a well-known fact here in Utah that there are 
fewer physical defects and greater intelligence in plural homes than in 
the same grade or class of monogamy. 

" The Mormon women are working grandly on the sex problem of the 
nineteenth century. They are beginning to move out on independent 
lines of business, of art, and of the professions. Their marital relations 
make this an easy matter. The woman will always be the head and 
genius of the home, but whether it is a corollary that she shall forever 
wash dishes and scrub floors has become a grave question. The rapid 
progress of the age finds ready disciples in Mormon wives, who feel the 
natural craving for home life and children satisfied, yet withal have 
ample time for the development and cultivation of every faculty within 
them. 

" Content in knowing herself beloved, and wedded to a man whose 
purity of mind and body is equal to her own, while his intelligence is one 
degree higher, his wisdom a rock upon which to lean in every emergency, 
the plural wife may, from her own threshold, look out into the broad 
world and choose such enterprise as she feels herself adapted to, the 
twenty years of her middle life spent in the care and rearing of her chil- 



WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 259 

dren the while she is quietly studying and preparing herself for that 
further mission. At the end of her child-bearing period she may, while 
aiding her own and her husband's family with her wisdom and experi- 
ence, launch out into her chosen vocation, ready to add the mite of her 
experience to the great problem of humanity. That problem is the de- 
velopment of each individuality to its highest possibility, the wise care 
and rearing of dependent childhood, and the peace, happiness, and well- 
being of all God's children. That polygamy, wisely and faithfully prac- 
ticed, will be a grand factor in bringing to pass this millennium of use- 
fulness and happiness, I sincerely believe." — Family Life Among the 
'Mormons (North American Review, pp. 347, 349, March, 1890). 

Phil Robinson dwells on this matter at even greater length, 
throwing further valuable light upon this curious phase of the 
subject. He writes: 

" But the ' woman's rights ' aspect of polygamy is one that has never 
been theorized on at all. It deserves, however, special consideration by 
those who think that they are ' elevating ' Mormon women by trying to 
suppress polygamy. It possesses also a general interest for all. For the 
plural wives of Salt Lake City are not by any means ' waiting for salva- 
tion ' at the hands of the men and women of the East. Unconscious of 
having fetters on, they evince no enthusiasm for their noisy deliverers. 

" On the contrary, they consider their interference as a slur upon their 
own intelligence, and an encroachment upon those very rights about 
which monogamist females are making so much clamor. They look 
upon themselves as the leaders in a movement for the emancipation of 
their sex, and how, then, can they be expected to accept emancipation at 
the hands of those whom they are trying to elevate? Thinking them- 
selves in the van of freedom, are they to be grateful for the guidance 
of stragglers in the rear? They laugh at such sympathy, just as a 
brave man would laugh at encouragement from a coward, or wealthy 
landowners at a pauper's exposition of the responsibilities of property. 
Can the deaf, they ask, tell musicians anything of the beauty of sounds, 
or need the artist care for the blind man's theory of color? 

" Indeed, it has been in contemplation to evangelize the Eastern States, 
on this very subject of woman's rights! To send out from Utah ex- 
ponents of the proper place of women in society, and to teach the women 
of monogamy their duties to themselves and each other ! ' Woman's true 
status ' — I am quoting from their organ — ' is that of companion to man, 
but so protected by law that she can act in an independent sphere if he 
abuse his position, and render union unendurable.' They not only, there- 
fore, claim all that women elsewhere claim, but they consider marriage 
the universal birthright of every female. First of all, they say, be mar- 
ried, and then in the case of accidents have all other rights as well. But 
to start with, every woman must have a husband. She is hardly worth 
calling a woman if she is single. Other privileges ought to be hers lest 
marriage should prove disastrous. But in the first instance she should 
claim her right to be a wife. And everybody else should insist on that 
claim being recognized. The rest is very important to fall back upon, 
but union with man is her first step towards her proper sphere. 

" Now, could any position be imagined more ludicrous for the would- 
be saviors of Utah womanhood than this, that the slaves whom they 
talk of rescuing from their degradation should be striving to bring 
others up to their own standards? When Stanley was in Central Africa, 
he was often amused and sometimes not a little disgusted to find that 
instead of his discovering the Central Africans, the Central Africans 



2<5o THE REAL MORMONISM 

insisted on 'discovering' him. . . . Something very like this will be the 
fate of those who come to Utah thinking that they will be received as 
shining lights from a better world. They will not find the women of 
Utah waiting with outstretched arms to grasp the hand that saves them. 
There will be no stampede of downtrodden females. On the contrary, 
the clarion of woman's rights will be sounded, and the intruding ' cham- 
ipions ' of that cause will find themselves attacked with their own weap- 
ons, and hoisted with their own petards. ' With the sceptre of woman's 
rights the daughters of Zion will go down as apostles to evangelize the 
nation. "Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the 
moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" The 
daughter of Zion ! ' 

" Mormon wives, then, are emphatically ' woman's rights women/ a 
title which is everywhere recognized as indicating independence of 
character and an elevated sense of the claims of the sex, and as in- 
ferring exceptional freedom in action. And I venture to hold the 
opinion that it is only women who are conscious of freedom that can 
institute such movements as this in Utah, and only those who are 
enthusiastic in the cause, that can carry them on with the courage and 
industry so conspicuous in this community. 

"A Governor once went there specially instructed to release the 
women of Utah from their bondage, but he found none willing to be 
1 released.' The franchise was then clamored for, in order to let the 
women of Utah 'fight their oppressors at the polls,' and the Mormon 
1 tyrants ' took the hint to give their wives votes, and the first use these 
misguided victims of plurality made of their new possession was to 
protest, 20,000 victims together, against the calumnies heaped upon the 
men of Utah ' whom they honored and loved.' To-day it is an act of 
Congress that is to set free these worse-than-Indian-suttee-devotees, 
and whether they like it or not they are to be compelled to leave their 
husbands or take the alternative of sending their husbands to jail. . . . 

" Monogamist reformers, having twice failed to persuade the wives 
of Utah to abandon their husbands by giving them the facilities for 
doing so, are now going to take their husbands from them by the force 
of the law. ' Sua si bona norint ' is the excuse of the reformers to 
themselves for their philanthropy, and, like the old Inquisitors who 
burnt their victims to save them from heresy, they are going to make 
women wretched in order to make them happy. Says the Woman's 
Exponent: ' If the women of Utah are slaves, their bonds are loving 
ones and dearly prized. They are to-day in the free and unrestricted 
exercise of more political and social rights than are the women of any 
other part of the United States. But they do not choose as a body to 
court the follies and vices which adorn the civilization of other cities, 
nor to barter principles of tried worth for the tinsel of sentimentality 
or the gratification of passion.' 

" It is of no use for ' Mormon-eaters ' to say that this is written 
'under direction,' and that the women who write in this way are 
prompted by authority. Nor would they say it if they knew personally 
the women who write thus. Moreover, Mormon-eaters are perpetually 
denouncing the ' scandalous freedom ' and ' independence ' extended to 
Mormon women and girls. And the two charges of excessive freedom 
and abject slavery seem to me totally incompatible. . . . 

"This aspect of the polygamy problem deserves, then, I think, con- 
siderable attention. An Act has been passed to compel some 20,000 
women to leave their husbands, and the world looks upon these women 
as slaves about to be freed from tyrants. Yet they have said and done 



WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 261 

all that could possibly be expected of them, and even more than could 
have been expected, to assure the world that they have neither need nor 
desire of emancipation, as they honor their husbands, and prefer 
polygamy, with all its conditions, to monogamy which brings with it 
infidelity at home and prostitution abroad. Again and again they have 
protested, in petitions to individuals and petitions to Congress, that 
their bonds are loving ones and dearly prized.' But the enthusiasm 
of reformers takes no heed of their protests. _ They are constantly 
declaring in public speeches and by public votes, in books and in news- 
papers — ■ above all, in their daily conduct — that they consider them- 
selves free and happy women, but the zeal of philanthropy will not be 
gainsaid, and so the women of Utah are, all else failing, to be saved 
from themselves. The ' foul blot ' of a servitude which the serfs aver 
does not exist is to be wiped out by declaring 20,000 wives mistresses, 
their households illegal, and their future children bastards ! " — Sinners 
and Saints, pp. 103-109. 

In connection with Mr. Robinson's explanation of the position 
of women in Mormon communities, there are numerous testi- 
monies available from the pens of prominent and able women, 
which argue very closely to the conclusion that only in such com- 
munities do women have the slightest promise of real " elevation." 
The following from Mrs. Emmeline B. Wells, President of the 
Women's National Relief Society, and for over thirty years editor 
of the Woman's Exponent, a paper filled with aspirations for 
the elevation of the sex, is interesting : 

"We believe in redemption from the curse placed upon woman. 
If you ask why, we will tell you it is a part of our religion, and we 
are working to bring it to pass. . . . Woman will be redeemed from 
that curse, as sure as the sun shines or the Lord lives. And the man 
and the woman will be equal, except there must necessarily always be 
a first, and the man is first. 

" In the Church termed ' Mormon,' women have always voted in all 
Church assemblies, on all questions relating to temporal or spiritual 
matters, just as freely as men, therefore it was not strange that equal 
suffrage should be accorded to our women at an early period. In fact, 
woman suffrage is in keeping with the institutions of Mormonism 
and in harmony therewith. Brigham Young was one of the most 
progressive men of the age, and the moment woman suffrage was 
talked of, he favored it. The legislature then in session in the 
winter of 1869 and 1870, passed a bill giving women equal suffrage, 
and the Hon. Abraham O. Smoot (father of Senator Reed Smoot) 
was the man who introduced the bill, which passed, as you doubtless 
know, and was signed by the Secretary of State, the Hon. S. A. Mann, 
then Acting Governor in the absence of the Governor. . . . 

"How can one help thinking woman will have some vital part in 
the great work of redeeming her own sex, the daughters of Eve, 
when she has played so conspicuous a part, first in the Garden of 
Eden ; and as in the great drama of the world woman is and has been 
a vital, active force, so it will be at the close of the most sublime 
drama ever introduced upon^ any stage, woman in her purity and 
magnanimity will rise victorious, having finished the part assigned 
her and made restitution. Redeemed from the curse, her triumph, 
her song of victory will be greater and loftier far than Miriam's 
or Deborah's of old. . . . 



'262 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"Mormon women are the happiest women in the world, taken as 
a whole. I know them intimately, in their homes, in their organiza- 
tions, in politics, in religion. We have more actual freedom than 
most other women, we are a very independent body of women; we 
vote, we attend political primaries and conventions and take part in 
them, we_ have helped to make this country, (some of us were a 
sort of pioneers,) and we feel as if it belonged to us, we believe in 
homes, we are home-makers, we are some of us colonizers, our young 
people marry and go out into new lands, north and south, and build 
up new settlements somewhat as we did when we came here, only 
they are better supplied with what is needed." — " Why a Woman 
Should Desire to be a Mormon" {Woman's Exponent, December 1907 
— January 1908.) 

In a public speech before one of the numerous meetings of 
women, called to protest against unjust federal laws aimed at 
settling the so-called " Mormon problem,'' Mrs. Phoebe C. Wood- 
ruff is quoted, as follows : 

" The cry has ever been the ' down-trodden women of Utah/ . . . 
They would have the world believe us the most degraded and neglected 
beings of all God's creation. Now, we know this is not so ; we enjoy 
full as much liberty as they do, and a great deal more, with all their 
boasted civilization. We enjoy all the rights that are accorded to 
our sex anywhere, and know as well how to use them as any of our 
compeers in the eastern cities would. Indeed, we enjoyed more be- 
fore they kindly introduced so much of their vaunted civilization into 
our midst. The day has been when one could walk the streets of 
Salt Lake City at any hour of the day or night, if necessary, without 
fear of insult, for every man we met would be a brother and a 
friend." — Quoted in Utah and Its People by a Gentile (D. D. hum). 

Another prominent woman, Mrs. Isabella Home, argued in 
precisely similar strain before the same meeting, as follows : 

"You say that you would like to know how the Mormon women do 
feel. I will tell you. They all know that they are honored wives and 
mothers, acknowledged in society with their children, and are happy 
in knowing that their husbands are true to their marriage covenants, 
whether they have one wife or more. The Lord, seeing the wicked- 
ness and corruption on the earth, in his Wisdom has revealed the 
principle of Plural Marriage, to purify society and elevate woman 
from the degradation in which man has placed her; and woe will 
be unto the man that degrades woman, for she is a gift from God. 
And I can positively assert that in no place on earth are chastity and 
virtue in women more honored and protected than among the people 
called ' Mormons.' " — Ibid. 

Probably the strongest protest ever uttered by the Mormon 
women was in the mass meeting at Salt Lake City, March 6, 1886, 
when the judicial injustices perpetrated under the provisions of 
the Edmunds Law were under discussion. This occasion was 
conspicuous, not only for the fervid eloquence of the speakers, but 
also for their high average of intelligence. Indeed, the strongest 
protests were uttered by several women physicians, who must be 
credited with a degree of education and intelligence above the 



WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 263 

dead level of the common schools. Nor, do the deliverances of 
these ladies betray any such fact as that they were merely de- 
sirous of maintaining their prestige with their patients and the 
public generally. Something closely akin to real conviction is 
evident in their remarks. On this occasion, Dr. Romania B. 
Pratt spoke as follows : 

"A true marriage cannot be productive of evil, for it is the perfect 
union of heart and soul, sanctified by mutual consent and sealed by 
God's holy ordinance. The ' Mormon ' marriage covenant is as bind- 
ing on the man as the woman, for any departure from the marriage 
law is a deadly sin and is punished with us by excommunication from 
the Church, which we regard as spiritual death. And it is dependent 
upon the covenants the sinner has made whether he can ever be 
readmitted as a member again. The Latter-day Saints regard plural 
marriage as an extension of all the privileges and good results arising 
from single marriage. Has not every woman the undeniable right 
to be an honorable wife and mother — of fulfilling the end of her 
creation, and do not the circumstances of life and statistics prove this 
to be impossible under the monogamic system? And were this the 
acknowledged law of the land, would it not lay the ax at the root of 
the greatest evil that has ever cursed the land? 

" If the same ceremony seals each wife to her husband, may not 
each family be a realization of the beautiful picture of one father and 
one mother, each the equal of the other in that family, happy in the 
consciousness of mutual and eternal affection? . . . The rearing of an 
intelligent and God-fearing family is the very essence of the reason for 
the revelation of celestial marriage, for God has said ' He will raise 
up unto himself a righteous seed/ Can the children of men who 
daily pollute themselves in the society of abandoned women be a 
righteous seed? Can wives love, honor and be faithful to husbands 
they absolutely know are faithless to them? Thank God that by 
virtue of woman's inherent goodness, wives in the monogamy of the 
world are more faithful a thousand to one than the husbands. 

"And a pertinent question arises in speaking of abandoned women. 
If it had been possible for them to become loving and beloved wives, 
would there be so many abandoned? The fidelity, the hallowed sacred- 
ness and dignity of each wife's family hearthstone can be abundantly 
verified among this people. The marriage covenant is eternal, and 
is equal to each wife in all its blessings, powers and privileges, as 
each is equally faithful and worthy. The union for all eternity is 
the keystone sentence of the ceremony. The bonds, then, of these 
plural families are true, virtuous, eternal; welded by power given of 
heaven, and what 'God hath joined together let no man put asunder.' 

"Our faith and confidence in the chastity and pure motives of our 
husbands, fathers, mothers and sons are such that we challenge the 
production of a better system of marriage and the records of more 
moral or purer lives. Hand in hand with celestial marriage is the 
elevation of woman. In Church she votes equally with men, and 
politically she has the suffrage raising her from the old common-law 
monogamic serfdom, to political equality with men. Rights of prop- 
erty are given her so that she,^ as a married woman, can hold 
property in her own individual right. Women are not thrown off 
in old age as has been most untruthfully and shamefully asserted. 



264 THE REAL MORMONISM 

There is nothing in our plural marriage system that countenances 
any such thing. The very nature of the covenant forbids it. . . . 
Instances of wrong-doing may be found in families of plural house- 
holds, but the exceptions are not the rule ; the weight of good re- 
sults of the majority should be the standard of judgment. It cannot 
be true, as asserted, that plural marriage is entered into as a rule 
from sensual motives. It is self-evident that it is not the case with 
the women, and it is unreasonable to suppose that men would bring 
upon themselves the responsibilities, cares and expenses of a plural 
family, when they could avoid all this, yet revel in sin, and, in the 
language of a distinguished man of the world, ' be like the rest of 
us.'" — Mormon Women's Protest, pp. 29-31. 

Another woman physician, Dr. Ellis R. Shipp, spoke on the 
same occasion with equal emphasis and effect, as follows : 

"And this is our grievous offense. A certain tenet of our religious 
faith our opponents cannot countenance, because so contrary to their 
own sinful practices. The evil results of these practices we have 
personally observed, particularly in the hospitals of the world, where 
fallen women seek the shelter they cannot obtain from those who 
should have protected them instead of throwing them and their off- 
spring upon the mercies of a cold, unfeeling world. By consulting 
the national statistics, we find New York with thirty thousand women 
leading lives of prostitution; Chicago twenty thousand; Boston and 
Cincinnati each ten thousand, and other cities with a like ratio ac- 
cording to the number of inhabitants. 

"Unfortunately, a record of the opposite sex is not kept. 

"We are accused of being down-trodden and oppressed. We deny 
the charge for we know there cannot be found a class of women upon 
the earth who occupy a more elevated position in the hearts of their 
husbands, or whose most delicate and refined feelings are so re- 
spected as here in Utah. 

"True we practice plural marriage, not, however, because we are 
compelled to, but because we are convinced that it is a divine revela- 
tion, and we find in this principle satisfaction, contentment and more 
happiness than we could obtain in any other relationship. 

" Let our works speak for us. We are a temperate, God-fearing, 
law-abiding people. We consider virtue and chastity the crowning 
ornaments of a woman's character. Our ladies are educated and 
refined, and their lives are constantly characterized by acts of nobility, 
fortitude, and usefulness. . . . 

" How strange that the rulers of this nation should overlook the 
glaring and palpable evils that so thickly beset themselves and traverse 
thousands of miles, in order to stigmatize a small handful of in- 
offensive people called ' Mormons/ who have already been driven 
to a desert land where it was supposed they would soon perish and 
die from starvation and exposure ! " — Ibid. pp. 37-38. 

Although American "philanthropy," usually so "busy else- 
where " when real evils are to be corrected with no opportunity 
for notoriety and a chance to obtain huge credits for sanctified 
generosity, has decreed, and succeeded in enforcing the decision 
that the women of Mormondon must be " saved from them- 
selves," the protests of these same " victims " are always on file 
for the information of the intelligent reader. There is one last 



WOMAN UNDER PLURAL MARRIAGE 265 

argument against this " principle " that is still used with an evi- 
dent intent to justify our previous injustice to these people. 
That is that the Mormon plural wife, in spite of her statements 
to the contrary, could not possibly be happy. Even Phil Robin- 
son discriminates carefully between happiness and " content," and 
concludes, because according to his understanding, the former 
was not available in plural marriage ; therefore, " polygamy " is 
an evil in itself. Presently, however, he proceeds to enlarge upon 
another " singular feature" of the matter, as follows: 

"The advocates of woman's rights are a very strong party in Utah; 
and their publications use the very same arguments that strong- 
minded women have made so terrible to newspaper editors in Europe, 
and members of Parliament. Thus the Woman's Exponent — with 
'the Rights of the Women of all Nations' for its motto — publishes 
continually signed letters in which plural wives affirm their content- 
ment with their lot, and in one of its issues . . . ' Hints on Marriage,' 
signed ' Lillie Freeze.' But for a sentence or two it might be an 
article by a Gentile in a Gentile ' lady's paper,' for it speaks of 
'courtship' and 'lovers,' and has the quotation, 'two souls with but 
a single thought, two hearts that beat as one,' and all the other 
orthodox pretty 'things, about true love and married bliss. Yet the 
writer is speaking of polygamy! In the middle of this article written 
* for love's sweet sake,' and as womanly and pure as ever words 
written by woman, comes this paragraph : — • 

" ' In proportion as the power of evil increases, a disregard for 
the sacred institution of marriage also increases among the married 
until this most sacred relationship will be overwhelmed by disunion 
and strife, and only among the despised Latter-day Saints will the 
true foundation of social happiness and prosperity be found upon the 
earth; but in order to realize that state we must be guided by 
principles more perfect than those which have wrought such dissolu- 
tion. God has revealed a plan for establishing a new order of society 
which will elevate and benefit all mankind who embrace. The nations 
that fight against it are working out their own destruction, for their 
house is built upon the sand, and one of the cornerstones is already 
loosened through their disregard and dishonor of the institution of 
marriage.' 

" Now what is to be done with women who not only declare they 
are happy in polygamy, but persist in trying to improve their monog- 
amous sisters? How is the missionary going to begin, for instance, 
with Lillie Freeze ? " — Sinners and Saints, pp. 98-100. 

The question of the attitude of woman toward this " principle " 
could be no better concluded than by the quotation of the follow- 
ing verses, written by Mrs. Emmeline B. Wells, whose experience 
of love and marriage was confined entirely to the plural " order." 
Mrs. Wells has always been a leader in movements for the eleva- 
tion of her sex, and is widely known as an advocate of " equal 
suffrage." She is also one of the most graceful poets among her 
people, having published several volumes of verse, highly esteemed 
for sentiment and imagery, as well as for elegance of diction. 
Her husband was Daniel H. Wells, one of the First Presidency, 



266 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"THE WIFE TO HER HUSBAND 

"It seems to me that should I die, 

And this poor body cold and lifeless lie, 

And thou shouldst touch my lips with thy warm breath, 

The life-blood, quickened in each sep'rate vein, 

Would wildly, madly rushing back again, 

Bring the glad spirit from the isle of death. 

It seems to me that were I dead, 
And thou in sympathy should'st o'er me shed 
Some tears of sorrow, or of sad regret, 
That every pearly drop that fell in grief, 
Would bud or blossom, bursting into leaf, 
To prove immortal love could not forget. 

I do believe that round my grave, 
When the cool fragrant evening zephyrs wave, 
Should'st thou in friendship linger near the spot, 
And breathe some tender words in memory, 
That this poor heart in grateful constancy, 
Would softly whisper back some loving thought. 

I do believe that should I pass 

Into the unknown land of happiness, 

And thou should'st wish to see my face once more, 

That in my earnest longing after thee, 

I would come forth in joyful ecstasy, 

And once again gaze on thee as before. 

I do believe my faith in thee, 

Stronger than life, an anchor firm to be; 

Planted in thine integrity and worth, 

A perfect trust implicit and secure; 

That will all trials and all grief endure, 

And bless and comfort me x while here on earth. 

I do believe who love hath known, 

Or sublime friendship's purest, highest tone, 

Hath tasted of the cup of ripest bliss, 

And drunk the choicest wine life hath to give, 

Hath known the truest joy it is to live; 

What blessing rich or great compared to this? 

I do believe true love to be 

An element that in its tendency 

Is elevating to the human mind, 

An intuition which we recognize 

As foretaste of immortal paradise, 

Through which the soul will be refined. 

— Musings and Memories, 



V 

THE MORMON ORGANIZATION 

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, 
pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for 
the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come into the unity of the faith, and of 
the knowledge of the Son of God." — Ephesians v. 11-13. 



CHAPTER XX 

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 

Probably the best known fact about the Mormon Church is 
that it embodies a singularly efficient organization, which per- 
mits it to achieve results impossible to virtually all other religious 
bodies, and binds its people into a wonderfully close solidarity. 
This organization has been compared to that of the Society of 
Jesus, the Jesuit Order, whose organization is essentially mili- 
tary; also, to army organizations of the most efficient type. It 
differs from all such, however, in the fact that it is a curious 
blending of perfect democracy with a very distinct recognition 
of a strong centre of authority. The latter supplies a purely 
theocratic element. That the organization of the Mormon 
Church is a very real and very remarkable masterpiece cannot 
be denied. That it is also a wonderfully efficient engine for 
achieving grand results, both social and moral, must be evident 
after examination of the facts. That it is, furthermore, the 
model and prototype, upon which the ultimate and perfectly ef- 
fective religious influence must be organized, is a postulate liable 
to be suspected somewhere toward the close of a thorough study. 

As a matter of fact, the Mormon organization accords well 
with what is, after all, the obvious conclusion in regard to the 
ultimate solution of the troublesome problems of civilization: 
that our problems may be met and solved only when society is 
organized on a basis distinctly religious, and when religion shall 
be expressed in an organization, giving full and complete recog- 
nition to matters distinctively social and human. The fact that 
the Mormon Church actually embodies these requirements, and 
in this respect, harmonizes these apparent contradictions, fur- 
nishes an explanation, alike, of its vitality and of the grand re- 
sults, evidently approximated, even if not fully realized, in its 
operation. In fine, the organization of the Church furnishes 
consideration of the utmost significance to sociology, ethics and 
religion alike. Nevertheless, that it could be copied or adapted 
to any other system of religion, even one professing the same 
interest in human and visible concerns of life, is highly doubt- 

269 



270 THE REAL MORMONISM 

f ul ; it seems to be an institution inevitable to the peculiar genius 
of Mormonism, and inseparable from it. 

Beyond doubt, the entire edifice of the Mormon " hierarchy," 
so-called, was erected in the day and through the agency of the 
Prophet Joseph Smith. To the unprejudiced non-Mormon it 
is a noble monument to his superlative genius as an organizer; 
to his disciples, and to himself, if we may judge from his state- 
ments, it is merely the restoration of the Church as founded by 
Christ Himself, and was formed on the type let down from God. 

The sixth of the thirteen " Articles of Faith " of the Mormon 
Church states: 

" We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive 

Church, viz. : apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc." 

Several historic sects have postulated similarly, notably the 
disciples of Edward Irving, who organized the so-called Catholic 
Apostolic Church, with numerous scriptural dignities and of- 
fices unfamiliar in Christian history. In fact, the organization 
of this body presents several interesting points of correspond- 
ence with Mormonism, particularly in starting with a body of 
twelve apostles. The Irvingites, however, do not regard the 
Twelve as a self-perpetuating council, and allowed it to lapse 
with the deaths of their original apostles. The Mormon 
Church, on the other hand, has maintained its apostolic 
" quorum " as a permanent institution, always filling vacancies 
created by death, or other causes, as speedily as possible. 

The organization of the Mormon Church includes two orders 
of priesthood, called respectively, the Melchisedek, or " Higher 
Priesthood," and the Aaronic, or " Lesser Priesthood." Thus 
two orders, although distinct, in point of functions and digni- 
ties, interact with perfect harmony. Nor is this discrimination 
of two priesthoods without warrant in Scripture. The authority 
commonly quoted is in the following passage from the Epistle 
to the Hebrews : 

" For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men 
in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices 
for sins. . . . And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he 
that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not 
himself to be made an high priest ; but he that said unto .him, Thou 
art my son, to-day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another 
place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. . . . 
For this Melchisedec, King of Salem, priest of the most high God, 
who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and 
blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first 
being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also 
King of Salem, which is King of peace; _ without father, without 
mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end 
of life but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually. 
Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 271 

Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the 
sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a command- 
ment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their 
brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: but he 
whose descent is not counted from them, received tithes of Abraham, 
and blessed him that had the promises. ... If therefore perfection 
were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received 
the law,) what further need was there that another priest should 
rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order 
of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of nec- 
essity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are 
spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance 
at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of 
which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is 
yet far more evident; for that after the similitude of Melchisidec 
there ariseth another priest, who is made, not after the law of a carnal 
commandment, but after the power of an endless life." — Heb. v. 1, 
4-7; vii, 1-7, n-16. 

According to the interpretation here offered, the Levitical, or 
Aaronic, priesthood, belonging properly to the children of Aaron, 
but restored in modern times through the instrumentality of 
John the Baptist in the persons of Joseph Smith and Oliver 
Cowdery, is, as it were, a step toward the higher and complete 
priesthood, " after the order of the Son of God," although many 
persons ordained into it rise no higher. The Melchisedek priest- 
hood, it is believed, was restored in modern times in the same 
persons, through the instrumentality of the Apostles Peter, 
James and John, and was by them transmitted to others in the 
Church. These matters have authoritative statement as follows : 

"There are, in the church, two Priesthoods, namely, the Melchisidek, 
and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood. Why the first is 
called the Melchisedek Priesthood, is because Melchisedek was such 
a great High Priest. Before his day it was called the Holy Priest- 
hood, after the order of the Son of God; but out of respect or rever- 
ence to the name of Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repeti- 
tion of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that Priest- 
hood after Melchisedek, or the Melchisedek Priesthood. All other 
authorities or officers in the church are appendages to this Priesthood ; 
but there are two divisions or grand heads — one is the Melchisedek 
Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic, or Levitical priesthood." — 
Doctrine and Covenants, cvii. 1-6. 

" Abraham received the Priesthood from Melchisedek, who received 
it through the lineage of his father, even till Noah. . . . Which Priest- 
hood continueth in the church of God in all generations, and is with- 
out beginning of days or end of years. And the Lord confirmed a priest- 
hood also upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations — 
which priesthood also continueth and abideth forever with the Priest- 
hood, which is after the holiest order of God. And this greater 
Priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mys- 
teries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. 
Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is mani- 
fest; and without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the 
Priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the 



272 THE REAL MORMONISM 

flesh; for without this no man can see the face of God, even the 
Father, and live. Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of 
Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people 
that they might behold the face of God ; but they hardened their hearts 
and could not endure his presence, therefore the Lord in his wrath 
(for his anger was kindled against them) swore that they should not 
enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness 
of his glory. Therefore he took Moses out of their midst, and the 
Holy Priesthood also; and the lesser priesthood continued, which 
priesthood holdeth the keys of the ministering of angels and the 
preparatory gospel." — Ibid, lxxxiv. 14, 17-26. 

" The power and authority of the Higher or Melchisedek Priest- 
hood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church — 
to have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of 
heaven — to have the heavens opened unto them — to commune with 
the general assembly and church of the first born, and to enjoy the 
communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the Mediator 
of the new covenant. The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic 
priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to 
administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel — the bap- 
tism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants 
and commandments." — Ibid. cvii. 18-20. 

Although, in the Mormon Church, there is no distinct, or pro- 
fessional, class holding the priesthood or ministry, as in other 
bodies, the general understanding of the duties and privileges of 
the priestly office is quite similar to that postulated elsewhere. 
A man holding any degree of priesthood among the Mormons 
may occupy any position in the community, or make his liveli- 
hood by any trade, occupation or profession, and yet possess, by 
virtue of his ordination, or " setting-apart," a distinct religious 
significance and dignity. In addition to his regular secular call- 
ing, he is an authorized and accredited minister of religion, and, 
in very many cases, works for the Church and its interests quite 
as hard and as long as for himself. According to the established 
rule, moreover, no priest, whether also an officer in any Church 
organization or not, receives remuneration for his services to re- 
ligion, unless they are of such a nature as to demand his entire 
time and attention — in that case he is paid a salary propor- 
tionate to the needs of his family. Theoretically, every male 
member of the Church becomes a priest in some degree: prac- 
tically, about 90 per cent, of the men hold the priesthood. While 
women are not regularly ordained, each one partakes of the dig- 
nity of her husband, and, as a matter of fact, in temple ordi- 
nances, etc., they discharge some of the most important functions 
of religion. 

The accepted definition of priesthood is given in the following 
passage in one of the accredited text-books of the Church : 

" Priesthood is power and authority given to men to act in the name 
of the Lord. It is a right conferred on men to officiate in the ordi- 
nances of the Gospel; and to advocate the principles thereof. In other 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 273 

words, Priesthood is Divine Authority by which men perform acts 
for the benefit of their fellow men under the law of the Gospel; and 
God acknowledges such acts as if they were His own. In a large 
sense, Priesthood signifies 'the holy order of the Son of God/ which 
He holds in connection with heavenly beings. It is that which places 
man in a condition to receive the ministration of angels, and to en- 
joy the presence of God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ." — 
Joseph B. Keeler (The Lesser Priesthood, etc., pp. 1-2). 

According to the best understanding of established modes of 
expression, the term Priesthood — and it is here preferably 
spelled with a capital — indicates the dignity of the higher, or 
Melchisedek, order; the lesser, or Aaronic, order seeming to be 
somewhat in the nature of a preparation for the dignities of the 
higher. This is suggested in the revelation previously quoted. 
Because the children of Israel " hardened their hearts and could 
not endure his (God's) presence, therefore the Lord in his 
wrath . . . took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priest- 
hood also," leaving them only the lesser priesthood, which " hold- 
eth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory 
Gospel." However, the term applies in usage with equal pro- 
priety to all the varying degrees and dignities in which the service 
of religion is expressed; the lesser priesthood being considered 
an " appendage " to the Higher. In usage the word " priest- 
hood " may designate the dignity of any person holding an ordi- 
nation to office, although the word " priest " is properly used to 
designate only one holding the rank in the Aaronic order. In 
the Melchisedek order, those ordained to office are called " eld- 
ers " and " high priests " — the former term being usual in ad- 
dress — but never " priests." 

" The second priesthood is called the priesthood of Aaron, be- 
cause it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their 
generations. Why it is called the lesser priesthood, is because it is an 
appendage to the greater or the Melchisedek Priesthood, and has power 
in administering outward ordinances." — 1 Doctrine and Covenants, cvii. 
13-14. 

In order to explain the matter as clearly as possible, it will be 
necessary, at the start, to specify the fact that both orders of the 
priesthood may be divided in two ways: first, as to specific of- 
fices, involving certain definite duties and functions; second, as 
to degree, or dignities, according to successive ordinations, from 
the lowest to the highest. Occasionally, it is difficult to dis- 
criminate the two perfectly, since in many cases a man, in being 
ordained regularly to some specific grade or dignity, is set apart 
to some particular office or " quorum," which may rank him 
above others of his grade in point of authority or dignity. How- 
ever, for the sake of clearness, the following classifications may 
be given. 



274 THE REAL MORMONISM 

The Higher Priesthood contains three distinct degrees or dig- 
nities: (i) high priests; (2) seventies; (3) elders — howbeit, 
the latter term applies in general usage to any person holding this 
Priesthood. As to offices, the Higher Priesthood contains, or 
involves eligibility to: (1) the first presidency; (2) the apostle- 
ship; (3) the patriarchship ; (4) stake presidencies and high 
councils; (5) the bishopric. In point of definite functions, the 
eldership proper and the bishopric are considered as " append- 
ages " to the High Priesthood ; the former as " standing min- 
isters of the Church," the latter as involving the " presidency of 
the lesser priesthood." 

The lesser priesthood, with which the bishop is evidently as- 
sociated and identified, involves three proper degrees of its own : 
(1) priests; (2) teachers; (3) deacons, each class with its 
proper duties and quorums. The grades of teacher and deacon 
are called " necessary appendages belonging to the lesser priest- 
hood " (Doctrine and Covenants, lxxxiv. 30), being, according 
to New Testament analogy, regular assistants to the higher 
grade, particularly in temporal or outward matters, properly 
local, as distinguished from the traveling duties of members of 
the Higher Priesthood. Accordingly, the deacon is set apart 
(1) to care for the poor; (2) to collect money and supplies for 
the poor from private sources, also, for building and maintaining 
houses of worship; (3) to care for, clean and repair such houses 
and their grounds; (4) to render such general services as may be 
required by those above him in office or authority. 

A man holding the grade of teacher may exercise (1) any of 
the functions of a deacon ; (2) the duties of a standing minister, 
" to watch over the Church always," exerting himself to be of 
personal assistance to any of its members, particularly in urging 
them to attend services and to remain faithful to their religious 
duties; (3) to act as "policeman of the Church," in searching 
out and discouraging " iniquity " in all its forms ; (4) to act as 
peacemaker between members of the Church who have dis- 
agreed on any matters, and to admonish such, and all others who 
may lapse from the straight way of righteousness; (5) "to warn, 
expound, exhort and teach, and invite all to come to Christ." 
Neither the teacher nor the deacon may officiate in any of the 
ordinances of religion, not even in the initiatory rite of baptism, 
but either of them may ordain candidates, who have been prop- 
erly qualified and elected, to his own grade, but, properly enough, 
to none above his own. 

The next higher grade is the priest, who holds the Aaronic 
order, the fulness of which was invested in John the Baptist. 
His duties are authoritatively set forth in the following passage : 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 275 

"The priest's duty is to preach, teach, expound, exhort, and bap- 
tize, and administer the sacrament, and visit the house of each mem- 
ber, and exhort them to- pray vocally and in secret, and attend to all 
family duties; and he may also ordain other priests, teachers, and 
deacons. And he is to take the lead of meetings when there is no 
elder present; but when there is an elder present, he is only to preach, 
teach, expound, exhort, and baptize, and visit the house of each mem- 
ber, exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret, and attend to all 
family duties. In all these duties the priest is to assist the elder if 
occasion requires." — Doctrine and Covenants, xx. 46-52. 

In addition to the strict rule that he shall discharge all the 
functions of his office as assistant to an elder, when such a per- 
son is present in any case, the priest may act as a teacher or as a 
deacon. He may not, however, confirm new members by the 
" laying-on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost," since this 
is a right belonging exclusively to the higher priesthood. 

The scriptural consistency of the latter regulation is obvious, 
when we consider that the Aaronic priesthood, although here in- 
corporated in the Christian Church and discharging duties pecul- 
iar to it, rather than the duties prescribed under the Mosaic Law, 
represents an order prior, historically, to the manifestation of the 
fulness of the Gospel of Christ. Hence, it cannot contain the 
power of imparting the gift of the Holy Ghost. Again, this 
sharp discrimination between the two priesthoods, in point of 
authority and powers, illustrates the statement of Christ regard- 
ing John the Baptist, who represented the culmination of the 
" Old Order," according to scripture, that " he who is least in 
the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." John baptized, 
hence baptism is a rite proper to the priesthood to which he be- 
longed ; but he himself testified that " one cometh after me, who 
shall baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Hence, the 
" baptism of the Holy Ghost " belongs exclusively to the Son of 
God, and to those who follow after His " order," His Apostles 
and other authorized servants, sharing with him the " higher 
priesthood." Similarly, also, the lesser priesthood ministers in 
the " outward things of religion " and in temporal affairs, as 
distinguished from the higher rites and mysteries of religion, 
peculiarly reserved for the participation of the Higher Priest- 
hood. 

The office and dignity of a bishop forms a true connecting link 
between the two priesthoods; since the bishopric is at once the 
presiding authority over the lesser priesthood, and an " append- 
age" to the Higher Priesthood. The bishop, however, is not 
chosen from the ranks of the lesser priesthood, as might be ex- 
pected, but is invariably a high priest of the Melchisedek Order. 
However, there are two distinct ranks of bishop : The Presid- 
ing Bishop, who has direct control of the temporal affairs and of 



276 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the lesser priesthood in the whole Church, and the numerous 
ward bishops, whose function in the several wards, — parishes, 
as they would be called in other connections — is to combine the 
duties of pastor and administrator. While most of the striking 
provisions of the Doctrine and Covenants apply most directly to 
the former officer, or to his prototype in the early days, the gen- 
eral bishop, the rule that each man holding the bishopric, local 
or general, shall be a priest of the Higher Order, is invariable. 
,The authoritative law relating to bishops is as follows : 

"They shall be High Priests who are worthy, and they shall be 
appointed by the First Presidency of the Melchisedek priesthood, 
except they be literal descendants of Aaron, and if they be literal de- 
scendants of Aaron, they have a legal right to the bishopric, if they are 
the firstborn among the sons of Aaron; for the firstborn holds the right 
of the presidency over this priesthood, and the keys or authority of 
the same. No man has a legal right to this office to hold the keys of 
this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant and the firstborn 
of Aaron; but as a High Priest of the Melchisedek Priesthood has 
authority to ; officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the 
office of bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, 
provided he is called, and set apart and ordained unto this power under 
the hands of the First Presidency of the Melchisedek Priesthood. 
And a literal descendant of Aaron, also, must be designated by this 
Presidency, and found worthy, and anointed, and ordained under the 
hands of this Presidency, otherwise they are not legally authorized 
to officiate in their priesthood; but by virtue of the decree concern- 
ing their right of the priesthood descending from father to son, they 
may claim their anointing, if at any time they can prove their lineage, 
or do ascertain it by revelation from the Lord under the hands of 
the above named Presidency." — Doctrine and Covenants, lxviii. 15-21. 

In another passage (Sec. cvii. j6) it is specified that a "lit- 
eral descendant of Aaron," when filling the office of bishop, 
may, contrary to the general rule, as will be seen later, act with- 
out the usual two counselors, " except in a case where a Presi- 
dent of the high priesthood, after the order of Melchisedek, is 
tried, to sit as a judge in Israel.' , Such rules are, however, in- 
operative, since no descendant of Aaron has ever claimed the 
bishopric. 

Since, as specified in the Doctrine and Covenants, " a literal 
descendant and the firstborn of Aaron " is the only person hav- 
ing " a legal right to this office "of Presiding Bishop, and, as 
" the firstborn holds the right of Presidency over this (the lesser) 
Priesthood," in line of heredity from father to son, it is quite 
evident that, in this office we have, in a very actual sense, the 
restoration and continuation of the Jewish High Priest, the 
dignity first awarded to Aaron, and transmitted by descent to his 
sons. 

The specified duties of the Presiding Bishopric include: (1) 
the presidency of the whole body of the lesser priesthood, with 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 277 

the superintendence over all business and ordinances within its 
sphere; (2) the receiving and caring for all the property of the 
Church, including the building and care of houses of worship; 

(3) necessary money disbursements for the relief of the poor; 

(4) the superintendence of all Church enterprises for the pur- 
chase of lands and the building-up of settlements upon them. 
He may also act as special judge, even in cases involving mem- 
bers of the Higher Priesthood. In virtually all matters, how- 
ever, he acts in council with, and under the direction of the 
First Presidency of the Church. 

The duties of the ward bishop are concerned with (1) main- 
taining the ward meeting-house, or chapel; (2) conducting regu- 
lar services; (3) collecting the tithes and other offerings of the 
people; (4) inquiring into the needs and conditions of the peo- 
ple, and distributing such aid as may be required; (5) presiding 
over all priest's quorums in his ward. He is also judge of the 
ward court, sitting with his two counselors, who, like himself, 
are High Priests of the Melchisedek order, specifically set apart, 
to decide disputes between persons under his charge, or to try 
causes based upon accusations against any persons in his ward. 
This court has the power to excommunicate any lay member or 
any holder of the lesser priesthood, when convicted of grave of- 
fences, but may only dis fellowship a member of the High Priest- 
hood, when similarly convicted of grave offences. 

The theory and constitution of the High Priesthood, as repre- 
senting the consummation and inclusion of all that is contained 
in the lower order, precisely as the Gospel is held to relate sim- 
ilarly to the Mosaic Dispensation, involves implicit harmony with 
what may be held to be the real sense of Scripture. This Priest- 
hood is not hereditary, even in theory, as should be the highest 
office, at least, in the lesser priesthood, the bishopric — - which 
should properly be held by a " lineal descendant of Aaron " (cf . 
Doctrine and Covenants, Ixviii, 16 and cvii. 70) — but is imparted 
by the direct authority of God. Although, as specified in 
passages already quoted, this priesthood was taken away from 
the Children of Israel, because of unbelief, the sense of authori- 
tative utterances seems to be that it was imparted to, and held by, 
some of the various prophets of Israel, who evidently exercised 
some authority, as direct agents of God, which was recognized 
as superior to the official priests, also to the kings of Israel, even 
from the earliest times. (Cf. Doctrine and Covenants, cxxxii. 
39.) It seems reasonable, therefore, on the assumption that the 
Dispensation of the Fulness of Times should include all previous 
dispensations, that an order should be recognized, whose mem- 
bers "have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the king- 



278 THE REAL MORMONISM 

dom of heaven, . . . and to enjoy the communion and presence 
of God " ; in other words, to fill the place of the prophets recog- 
nized in all older dispensations. 

However, although, as distinctly specified, the Melchisedek 
Priesthood entitles one holding it to fill any office in the Church, 
even the most exalted, provided he be " called and sustained " 
in prescribed fashion, there are certain powers and dignities 
which belong exclusively to the offices, and may not be exer- 
cised by any elder or high priest, unless he hold some such 
office. This right or authority to exercise special powers or 
functions in the Church comes by virtue of certain " keys/' or 
official gifts or dignities, by which, as it were, the doors of 
divine favor may be opened. This is explained, as follows: 
" Jesus said to Peter : ' I will give unto thee the keys of the king- 
dom of heaven.' (Matt. xvi. 19.) And he said to Joseph in a reve- 
lation: 'Unto you I have given the keys of the kingdom.' (Doc. 
and Cov., Sec. lxxxi. 2). And in many instances and at divers times 
has the Lord given his servants the keys for special purposes. The 
meaning of this term is better explained by illustration. Every High 
Priest, for instance, is eligible to presidency, either as bishop or stake 
president, or any other presiding office in the Priesthood; and he has 
all the general authority he needs to act in any of the positions named. 
But no High Priest acts in a presiding capacity until he is called and 
inducted into office. (Doc. and Cov., Sec. xxvii. 5-13.) 

" The Priesthood gives a man general authority to act in the name 
of the Lord; the keys^ of the Priesthood give him the special authority 
to act or administer in any particular office or calling. It will be re- 
membered that none of the keys of the Priesthood are exercised ex- 
cept through office." — Joseph B. Keeler (The Lesser Priesthood, etc., p. 
74). 

The respective duties of the High Priest and the elder are set 
forth in the Doctrine and Covenants, as follows: 

"High Priests after the order of the Melchisedek Priesthood, have 
a right to officiate in their own standing, under the direction of the 
Presidency, in administering spiritual things ; and also in the office of 
an elder, priest, (of the Levitical order,) teacher, deacon, and mem- 
ber. An elder has a right to officiate in his stead when the High 
Priest is not present. The High Priest and elder are to administer 
in spiritual things, agreeable to the covenants and commandments of 
the church; and they have a right to officiate in all these offices of the 
church when there are no higher authorities present." — Section cvii. 
10-12. 

"The High Priests should travel, and also the elders, and also the 
lesser priests; but the deacons and teachers should be appointed to 
watch over the church, to be standing ministers unto the church." — 
Section lxxxiv. in. 

" The elders are to conduct the meetings as they are led by the 
Holy Ghost, according to the commandments and revelations of God." 
— Sec. xx. 45. 

The several grades or degrees of priestly or ecclesiastical dig- 
nity having been thus outlined and described, we understand the 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 279 

several varieties of material — if such metaphor be proper — 
which may be arranged and correlated to constitute the organism 
of the Church. For, as must be evident, even a gradation of 
dignities or degrees, from top to bottom of the scale, can con- 
stitute no stable unity, unless individuals are properly associated 
and classified in permanent fashion. Consequently, we find, as 
.•a primary unit of association, that every holder of ecclesiastical 
dignity, high or low, is related to others of his own grade, also 
to the Church as a whole, in the fact that he is also a member 
<of some particular " quorum." As understood in the Mormon 
Church, this is a class or company of a specified number of 
members for each grade — except in the case of the High Priests' 
quorums — having a definite individual designation, local or nu- 
merical, each with its own officers and members, and its own 
specific functions. The word, " quorum," as here used, refers 
to the whole membership in any given case, and not, as by usual 
understanding, to a voting majority. 

Classifying all ordained members of the Church by quorums, 
we have several orders of such bodies. Thus, quorums may be 
official and administrative, or primarily associative or educa- 
tional. Also, there may be general quorums, affecting the whole 
Church, and local quorums, belonging to some ward or stake or- 
ganization. The matter may be best explained by outlining the 
organization of all such quorums, beginning, as before, at the 
bottom of the scale. 

Thus, twelve deacons form a quorum of deacons ; one of them 
being chosen president, " to sit in council with them, and teach 
them their duty — edifying one another, as it is given according 
to the Covenants." (Doc. and Cov. cvii. 85.) The president is 
to be assisted by two counselors, also chosen from the twelve, 
the three composing the presidency of the quorum. Another 
member is elected clerk, or secretary. The object of this asso- 
ciation, as above specified, is to promote mutual agreement and 
cooperation in the performance of the duties of deacons. Con- 
sequently, all activities of the quorum are under the superin- 
tendency of the bishop of the ward, who is the responsible and 
real authoritative head. 

All quorums in the Church, except the several councils of the 
Seventies, are presided over in similar fashion, by a president 
and two counselors; also all Church societies and associations, 
outside of the priesthood organizations proper. This arrange- 
ment is a wise one, serving to divide responsibility, in great 
measure; also, in assisting the presiding officer with constant 
advice and counsel from perfectly sympathetic persons, ac- 
quainted with all situations involved in given cases. 



280 THE REAL MORMONISM 

The quorum of teachers consists of twenty-four members, 
from the number of whom are chosen, in precisely similar fashion, 
a president, two counselors and a clerk. The teachers' quorum 
has as its object to promote cooperation among those holding 
this grade of the ministry, and to discuss methods of perform- 
ing their duties. It is also subject to the direction and superin- 
tendence of the ward bishop. 

The next higher quorum, that of the priests of the Levitical 
order, consists of forty-eight members, but, unlike the others, 
chooses no president and counselors from its number ; the bishop 
himself being its presiding officer in his capacity of " president 
over the priesthood of Aaron." 

Each quorum of ninety-six elders has its own president with 
two counselors and a clerk, chosen from their number. Such 
quorums are regularly organized by the stake presidency in any 
district, in which ninety-six elders (or a few more or less) have 
their residence. However, the elders resident in a given ward, 
when at home, usually associate, more or less informally, for the 
furtherance of local Church affairs, under the general super- 
vision of the bishop. 

Above the elders' quorums are those of the High Priests, 
whose membership is not limited, but may include as few or as 
many men holding this dignity as reside in a given stake or dis- 
trict. Like all other quorums in the Church, these organizations 
have a president with two counselors and a secretary. There are 
also local or ward divisions, organized for convenience, but these 
are in no sense independent of the stake or district quorum. 
The object of the High Priests' quorum is " self-culture, dis- 
cipline, and such other spiritual development as shall prepare 
them in every way for the ministry of their holy calling." 
(Keeler.) From these quorums, also, the stake and ward of- 
ficers, presidents and bishops, are regularly selected and ap- 
pointed. 

All the quorums thus far described are composed of persons 
whose duties, religious or administrative, keep them at home, or 
of persons not engaged in work abroad. The quorums of deacons, 
teachers, priests and elders include, as already stated, " the stand- 
ing ministry of the Church " and their assistants. There is, 
however, another rank of elders, whose calling includes the duty 
of preaching the Gospel abroad, as well as at home, and this is 
known as the Seventy. The term " Seventy " indicates the 
fundamental principle of organization holding in this rank or 
office. Its quorum consists of seventy members, and is presided 
over by a presidency of seven presidents, selected from the mem- 
bers, among whom the president first ordained or chosen to the 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 281 

office is the presiding officer at all meetings or deliberations. 
The Seventy is, however, a general, as opposed to a merely local, 
or district, body, and acts through its own presidency, under the 
immediate supervision of the Council of the Twelve Apostles of 
the Church. 

The organization of the Seventy was first formed in the Mor- 
mon Church in harmony with the act of Christ (Luke x) in 
appointing seventy of His disciples to go " two and two before 
His face into every city and place, whither He himself would 
come," to herald the Kingdom of God. Although many scrip- 
tural commentators believe that the seventy disciples thus sent 
out did not constitute a permanent body, some others, such as 
Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History (Chap, xii) argue to a 
contrary conclusion. In the Mormon Church it has always 
proved an efficient and valuable institution. The outline of its 
institution is thus set forth: 

" The seventy are . . . called to preach the gospel, and to be especial 
witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world. . . . The seventy are 
to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve or 
the traveling High Council, in building up the Church and regulating 
all the affairs of the same in all nations — first unto the Gentiles and 
then to the Jews. . . . And it is according to the vision, showing the 
order of the seventy, that they should have seven presidents to pre- 
side over them, chosen out of the number of the seventy; and the 
seventh president of these presidents is to preside over the six; and 
these seven presidents are to choose other seventy besides the first 
seventy, to whom they belong, and are to preside over them; and 
also other seventy, until seven times seventy, if the labor in the vine- 
yard of necessity requires it. And these seventy are to be traveling 
ministers unto the Gentiles first, and also unto the Jews." — Doctrine 
and Covenants, cvii. 25, 34, 93-97. 

The presidency of the first quorum of Seventy, having the 
power of appointing other seventies, as required, is the supreme 
council in the order. The rule that the increase may be " until 
seven times seventy " seems to have been modified by later au- 
thority, by which it was almost indefinitely extended. Thus, 
according to Joseph Smiths record, we read, under date May 2, 
1835, as follows: 

"If the first Seventy are all employed, and there is a call for more 
laborers, it will be the duty of the seven presidents of the first Seventy 
to call and ordain other Seventy and send them forth to labor in the 
vineyard, until, if needs be, they set apart seven times seventy, and 
even until there are one hundred and forty-four thousand thus set 
apart for the ministry." — History of the Church, Vol. ii. p. 221. 

The authority of the first quorum of the Seventy is even more 
exalted, since, by special law, it is equal in authority to the Coun- 
cil of the Twelve Apostles, in all matters pertaining to their work 
and office. This is specified, as follows: 



282 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"And they (the Seventy) form a quorum equal in authority to that 
of the Twelve special witnesses or apostles." — Doctrine and Cove- 
nants, cvii. 26. 

" And in case that any decision of these quorums is made in un- 
righteousness, it may be brought before a general assembly of the sev- 
eral quorums, which constitute the spiritual authorities of the church, 
otherwise there can be no appeal from their decision." — Ibid. cvii. 32. 

The duties of the Seventy, however, are primarily evangelical. 
They are preachers and witnesses, rather than administrators in 
any proper sense. Consequently, their part in the organism of 
the Church is largely auxiliary to the more nearly executive func- 
tions of the Apostolic quorum. They are the soldiers in the 
field rather than the governors and commanders, having the 
supreme authority in directing campaigns, as well as special 
movements. 

In the organization of the two highest quorums of the Church 
we arrive at the point where authority in both religious and 
temporal, or outward, affairs of the Church is centered. This 
double authority is vested to a certain extent in the Council of 
the Twelve Apostles, and completely in the First Presidency. 
These two quorums act together in a very large number of in- 
stances, although the First Presidency has such wide powers 
that the cooperation of the Apostolic Quorum is .virtually never 
obligatory, except in certain judicial sessions, in which, as spe- 
cified by law, the Presidency shall act in council with a jury of 
twelve high priests as advisers. 

In their quorum of the Twelve Apostles the Latter-day Saints 
maintain, as a permanent institution, another primitive order, 
which traditional bodies have supposed to be merely temporary, 
and of significance only for the early Church. The Mormon 
claim that, on the contrary, this " quorum," as originally estab- 
lished by Christ, was intended to persist, gains some probability 
from the act of the eleven survivors in electing Matthias as suc- 
cessor to Judas Iscariot ; also, from the fact that St. Paul main- 
tains the unchallenged claim to apostleship, thus suggesting his 
election to fill some other vacancy. On the theory that this body 
was to be permanent and self -perpetuating, its restoration, with 
the restored Church, seems logical, if not inevitable. 

The word apostle is used several times in authoritative Mor- 
mon documents before the formal establishment, or reestablish- 
ment, as they claim, of the Twelve. Thus, in a revelation dated 
in June, 1829, Oliver Cowdery is addressed in the following 
words : 

"I speak unto you, even as unto Paul mine apostle, for you are 
called even with that same calling with which he was called." — Doc- 
trine and Covenants, xviii. 9. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 283 

Similarly, in a revelation dated in April, 1830, and referring 
to the " will and commandments of God," in regard to the or- 
ganization of the Church, the following passages occur: 

"Which commandments were given to Joseph Smith, jun., who was 
called of God, ^ and ordained an apostle of Jesus Christ, to be the 
first elder of this Church ; and to Oliver Cowdery, who was also called 
of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to be the second elder of this 
church." — Doctrine and Covenants, xx. 2-3. 

The following formal command to organize the quorum of the 
Twelve Apostles was given in June, 1829, although the organi- 
zation did not take place until February, 1836. 

" And now, behold, there are others who are called to declare my 
gospel, both unto Gentile and unto Jew ; yea, even Twelve, and the 
Twelve shall be my disciples, and they shall take upon them my name; 
and the Twelve are they who shall desire to take upon them my name 
with full purpose of heart; and if they desire to take upon them my 
name with full purpose of heart, they are called to go into all the 
world to preach my gospel unto every creature; and they are they 
who are ordained of me to baptize in my name, according to that which 
is written. . . . And now I speak unto you the Twelve — Behold, my 
grace is sufficient for you: you must walk uprightly before me and 
sin not. And, behold, you are they who are ordained of me to or- 
dain priests and teachers; to declare my gospel, according to the power 
of the Holy Ghost which is in you, and according to the callings and 
gifts of God unto men. . . . And now, behold, I give unto you Oliver 
Cowdery, and also unto David Whitmer, that you shall search out the 
Twelve, who shall have the desires of which I have spoken; and by 
their desires and their works you shall know them ; and when you have 
found them you shall show these things unto them." — Doctrine and Cov- 
enants, xviii. 26-29, 31, 32, 37-39. 

The duties of the Apostles are also fully explained in several 
passages, as follows : 

"An apostle is an elder, and it is his calling to baptize, . . . and to 
administer bread and wine — the emblems of the flesh and blood of 
Christ — and to confirm those who are baptized into the church, by 
the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, 
according to the scriptures; and to teach, expound, exhort, baptize, 
and watch over the church; and to confirm the church by the laying on 
of the hands, and the giving of the Holy Ghost, and to take the head of 
all meetings." — Doctrine and Covenants, xx. 38-44. 

"The Twelve traveling counselors are called to be the Twelve 
apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world; 
thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their 
calling. And they form a quorum, equal in authority and power to 
the three Presidents. . . . The Twelve are a traveling presiding High 
Council, to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of 
the Presidency of the church, agreeable to the institution of heaven; 
to build up the church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in 
all nations; first unto the Gentiles, and secondly unto the Jews. . . . 
The Twelve being sent out, holding the keys, to open the door by the 
proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ — and first unto the Gen- 
tiles and then unto the Jews. ... It is the duty of the traveling High 
Council to call upon the Seventy, when they need assistance, to fill the 



284 THE REAL MORMONISM 

several calls for preaching and administering the gospel, instead of 
any others. ... It is the duty of the Twelve also to ordain and set 
in order all the other officers of the church. . . . Whosoever ye shall 
send in my name, by the voice of your brethren, the Twelve, duly rec- 
ommended and authorized by you, shall have power to open the door 
of my kingdom unto any nation whithersoever ye shall send them." — 
Ibid. cvii. 23-24, 33, 35, 38, 58; cxii. 21. 

Although, as stated above, the Twelve Apostles " form a 
quorum, equal in authority and power to the three Presidents," 
their activities are always directed by the Presidency, except 
when, as the Traveling High Council, they are abroad. In this 
case there is no appeal from their decisions, except upon allega- 
tion and proof of " unrighteousness" (Doc. and Cov. cii. 30-33). 
It may seem a strange fact that, in so stable and well-working 
an organization as that of the Mormon Church, there should be 
several quorums with specified equal authority. A question 
would logically occur to any mind, as to how the First Quorum 
of the Seventy could be equal in authority to the Quorum of the 
Apostles, and, that, in turn, to the Quorum of the First Presi- 
dency, and, yet, that the three bodies should interact with good 
harmony. The matter is still further aggravated by the law re- 
garding the stake high councils, which, as we shall see later, are 
in the several divisions what the Apostles are to the whole 
Church. Thus : 

" The standing High Councils, at the Stakes of Zion, form a quorum 
equal in authority, in the affairs of the church, in all their decisions, 
to the quorum of the Presidency, or to the traveling High Council. 
The High Council in Zion, form a quorum equal in authority, in the 
affairs of the church, in all their decisions, to the Councils of the 
Twelve at the Stakes of Zion." — Doctrine and Covenants, cvii. 3&~37- 

Instead of being contradictory, however, the matter is really 
surprisingly logical, and also exhibits most effectively the real 
genius of the Mormon Church. The explanation of the matter 
lies in the fact that peculiar duties and dignities attach to the 
several offices, as already suggested, and that, although certain 
other quorums, under certain definite conditions and within just 
limits of authority, may be equal to those ranked above them, 
the higher quorums hold " keys " to powers and dignities, not 
shared by those beneath them in the scale. Consequently, the 
rulings and decisions of the higher quorums are respected and 
accepted from the fact that, as is the accepted belief, they par- 
take of a measure of divine authority proportionate to the dig- 
nity of the quorum from which they emanate. Thus, with 
nearly uniform regularity, nominations for offices originate in 
or are approved by the First Presidency, which is the recognized 
medium of divine authority. All such nominations, however, 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 285 

are voted upon, and, from time to time, regularly " sustained " 
by the people of the Church. 

Numerous critics of the Mormon system, evidently moved by 
a desire to find fault rather than to represent matters truthfully, 
have argued that this curious cooperation of theocratic authority 
and democratic autonomy is nothing other than centralized abso- 
lutism with a pretence of popular government. They assert, in 
short, that the general vote to establish or " sustain " any man 
in an exalted office is obtained by " fear " (of ostracism, at least), 
and is, in no sense, freely accorded. Such a criticism could be 
based only upon utter ignorance of this system, or else upon 
deliberate misrepresentation. It also overlooks the fact, evident 
upon proper examination, that the belief in the divine authority 
of the " keys " of office in the Church is perfectly sincere and 
vitally real in the minds of these people. Leaving this out of 
account, a study of the organization of the Church shows most 
definitely that the theoretical equality of the several governing 
quorums must, under any other conditions, furnish a ready 
source of disagreement and partisan politics. In short, without 
the belief in the divine authority back of the higher quorums, 
the system could not work at all. The people vote together, 
with such singular unanimity, because they have full confidence 
in the wisdom and righteousness of those set above them offi- 
cially; also, because they recognize that the faithful discharge of 
official duties is a matter of greater importance than the consid- 
eration of preferring one person, rather than another, in any 
given dignity. However, the accusation of unrighteousness, as 
shown by indulgence in any sin or crime, is always recognized 
as a sufficient reason for reconsidering any nomination, or for 
withholding a vote to sustain any one already in an office, even 
the First Presidency of the whole Church. This principle is 
set forth, as follows, in an address by President Anthon H. 
Lund, at the organization of the Liberty Stake of Zion, Febru- 
ary 26, 1904: 

"In voting, you are free to vote as you choose. Some have ac- 
cused us of all voting the one way, and that voting of the ' Mormons ' 
was a sham. Well, you know better than this, my brethren and 
sisters. The order of the Church is that the Priesthood has the right 
to nominate; but, . . . everything is done by common consent. It is 
your right to vote for or against the person or persons presented. If 
you do not know of any crime or sin against the men, be careful not 
to oppose them. But if you know of transgression, it is not only 
your right but your duty to vote against them. Let not personal feel- 
ing move you to oppose any presented before you to-night, or in any 
of our conferences." — Deseret Evening News, February 27, • 1904. 

From another point of view, also, the equality in authority of 



286 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the several governing quorums is a wise provision — the offices 
of the Church could always be completely filled, in the extraor- 
dinary event that some catastrophe should eliminate the First 
Presidency and the Apostles. As a matter of fact, this is pre- 
cisely the contingency distinctly provided for in the organization 
of a new First Presidency. Upon the death of the President, 
the First Presidency is dissolved, the two counselors of the Pres- 
ident taking their places in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 
if they had been Apostles, or, if not, in their proper High Priests' 
quorums. The Twelve then become the governing body in the 
Church, assuming its equality of authority with the First Presi- 
dency, and proceeds, as soon as possible, to form a new Presi- 
dency. After the death of President Young, the Apostles ruled 
the Church for three years ; after the death of President Taylor, 
for two years. In both cases the choice of the successor was 
by the exercise of the power of receiving revelations, then trans- 
ferred to the Apostolic Quorum, but the choice, thus determined, 
was ratified by the entire body of the Church membership, vot- 
ing in public meetings. In the event that a new President is 
chosen and sustained by general vote, he succeeds to the " keys " 
and powers inherent in the office, and these are, accordingly, 
withdrawn from the Twelve. 

The supreme authority in the Church is vested in the Presi- 
dent, who, with his counselors, accordingly, holds the presidency 
over both priesthoods and of all quorums in the Church, and is 
recognized as the directing head of all activities, both spirit- 
ual and temporal. His dignities include, therefore, that of 
" prophet, seer, revelator and translator," the authorized medium 
for imparting the will and counsels of God to the Church; the 
" Presiding High Priest over the High Priesthood of the 
Church," holding all the " keys " of all the " sealing ordinances " ; 
Trustee-in-Trust of the Church, holding title to all general 
Church property, and authorizing all disbursements. Officially 
and personally, he may act in the capacity of lawgiver, executive 
and judge, and may officiate in any and all functions of either 
priesthood, should he so desire. His relation, in short, to the 
Church as a whole is that of Moses to the Israelites. 

The President, however, although the bearer of such great 
and numerous dignities and authorities, regularly acts with two 
counselors, like any other President of any organization or 
quorum of the Church; habitually, also, with the Council of the 
Twelve Apostles. His counselors, chosen by himself from the 
number of the Apostles or High Priests, are also known by the 
title of president, the three forming the First Presidency of the 
Church. These counselors participate in the authority and dig- 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 287 

nity of the President only through official association with him. 
They are not properly vice-presidents, except in the temporary 
absence of the President, when they may discharge some of his 
administrative functions, nor do they continue in office after his 
decease. 

The President, also, in a very real sense, holds his office " dur- 
ing good behaviour," since, in spite of the exalted character of 
his dignities, his conduct must always be above all reproach. 
The definite and extended provisions, made to meet the contin- 
gency of his failure in this respect, sufficiently exemplify the 
fact that the Mormon idea of theocracy involves no notion of 
monarchic absolutism. It also exhibits to a marked degree the 
actual influence of the rank and file in matters governmental and 
administrative. The curious blending of theocracy and democ- 
racy in the government of the Church achieves its most surpris- 
ing climax in the provisions that the regularly appointed agent 
of divine authority may be displaced on the proof of charges 
based on merely human testimony, against his character and 
behaviour. It examples the fact that all believers partake of 
the divine authority of their highest officers, imparted with the 
gift of the Holy Ghost and other endowments. 

Thus, as already specified, the Council of the Twelve Apos- 
tles in their decisions are equal to the First Presidency, and the 
same is true of the decisions of the first quorum of the Seventy. 
The proviso is made, however, that 
" every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions, in order 
to make their decisions of the same power or validity one with the other. 
(A majority may form a quorum, when circumstances render it impos- 
sible to be otherwise.) Unless this is the case, their decisions are not 
entitled to the same blessing which the decisions of a quorum of 
three Presidents were anciently, who are ordained after the order 
of Melchisedek, and were righteous and holy men. The decisions 
of these quorums, or either of them, are to be made in all righteousness, 
in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long-suffering, and in 
faith, and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, broth- 
erly kindness and charity ; because the promise is, if these things abound 
in them, they shall not be unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord. And 
in case that any decision of these quorums is made in unrighteousness, it 
may be brought before a general assembly of the several quorums, 
which constitute the spiritual authorities of the church, otherwise there 
can be no appeal from their decision." — Doctrine and Covenants, cvii. 27- 
32. 

That the unanimous decision of either, or both, these quorums 
should suffice to constitute a case against the Quorum of the 
First Presidency, or any member of it, is evident. However, 
the matter is definitely treated in the following laws: 

" And inasmuch as a President of the High Priesthood shall transgress, 
he shall be had in remembrance before the common council of the church, 



288 THE REAL MORMONISM 

who shall be assisted by twelve counselors of the High Priesthood ; and 
their decision upon his head shall be an end of controversy concerning 
him. Thus, none shall be exempted from the justice and the laws of 
God, that all things may be done in order and in solemnity before him, 
according to truth and righteousness. . . . He that is slothful shall not 
be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows 
himself not approved, shall not be counted worthy to stand." — Ibid., cvii. 
82-84, 100. 

The procedure to be followed in such an extraordinary case is 
outlined as follows: 

" It will be observed here that even a President of the Church may be 
impeached or tried for transgression. The law has been made to reach 
all — officers and members alike. Three counselors to President Joseph 
Smith were rejected by the Church and afterward tried and excommun- 
icated on the charge of apostasy and treachery: namely, Frederick G. 
Williams, March 17, 1839; William Law, April 18, 1844; and Sidney Rig- 
don, Sept. 8, 1844. 

"The law and order of the Church is, that when a President of the 
High Priesthood, who is also President of the Church, is tried, it shall 
be before a ' common council ' — that is, a council or court of twelve High 
Priests. A High Council, or a common council, organized for this pur- 
pose is presided over by the Presiding Bishop of the Church. (D. & C. 
sec. 107, 76.) The trial of Sidney Rigdon, for example, was held before 
Bishop Whitney, a Presidency of the Nauvoo Stake of Zion, nine High 
Councillors of that Stake, and three other High Priests. 

" If condemned by such a court, the extreme penalty would be severance 
from the Church ; and a less penalty might be the withdrawal of the keys, 
rights, and powers of the Presidency." — Joseph B. Keeler, (The Les- 
ser Priesthood, etc., pp. 97-98.) 

The general officers of the Church exercise their authority 
and leadership through the several orders of district and local 
executives, each of whom has definite powers and responsibili- 
ties. Thus, directly beneath the First Presidency are the Presi- 
dency and High Council of each :eparate stake, and beneath 
these, again, as far as concerns spiritual and general administra- 
tive affairs, are the ward presidencies, composed of the bishops 
and their counselors. The bishops owe a double allegiance to 
superior authorities, consisting, however, in the fact that they 
fill a double capacity in relation to the people in their charges. 
So far as concerns outward and temporal affairs, the ward 
bishop, as local president of the lesser priesthood, is directly re- 
sponsible to the Presiding Bishop of the whole Church, to whom 
he must render regular accounts of his stewardship in business 
matters. In such concerns the bishop, however, reports through 
the stake Presidency. But in the spiritual matters of the ward 
the stake President, with his council, directs the actions of the 
ward president, or bishop, and also in general matters, to the 
extent, at least, that the affairs of one ward bear relation to 
others in the stake. 

The district subdivision of Church government, known as the 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 289 

" stake," is in many particulars analogous to one of the separate 
states of the American republic. Just as each state has its gov- 
ernor, corresponding, within his limits of authority, to the Presi- 
dent of the United States; and, just as each state has its legis- 
lature of two houses, corresponding to the Federal Congress, so 
each separate stake of the Mormon Church has its presidency, 
consisting of the President and his two counselors, and the High 
Council of twelve High Priests, corresponding, respectively, to 
the First Presidency of the whole Church, and the Council of 
the Twelve Apostles. Indeed, as has been often remarked, the 
stake is the " Church in miniature." 

The use of the word, " stake," to indicate a subdivision of 
territory, is peculiar to the terminology of the Mormon Church, 
and is based on a metaphor found several times in the Old Testa- 
ment scriptures. Just as a tent is held up by cords attached to 
stakes driven in the ground, so a separate centre of power and 
authority is represented by this word, as indicating a source of 
strength and stability to the total structure of the Church. This 
is explained as follows: 

" Isaiah uses it (stakes) as a figure of speech in which he makes Jeru- 
salem a tent with its stakes and cords stretching out the curtains, and 
the stakes marking off the boundary of space the tent occupies. " Look 
upon Zion, the city of our solemnities ; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem 
a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down ; not one of 
the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords 
thereof be broken." (Isa. xxxiii : 20). Again, prophesying of Israel 
when in the latter times they would need more room, he says : ' Enlarge 
the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine 
habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.' 
(Isa. liv. 2). The implied comparison in this metaphor is that the stakes 
and cords mark off or broaden the boundary of their habitation. The 
.Lord uses similar language in a revelation : ' For Zion must increase in 
beauty, and in holiness : her borders must be enlarged, her stakes must 
be strengthened.' (Doc. and Cov. lxxxii: 14). 'Until the day cometh 
when there shall be found no more room for them ; and then I have other 
places which I will appoint unto them, and they shall be called Stakes for 
the curtains or for the strength of Zion.' (Ibid., ci: 21)." — /. B. Keeler, 
(The Lesser Priesthood, etc., pp. 62-63.) 

The stake President and his two counselors, as well as the 
high council of twelve members, are nominated by the First 
Presidency of the Church, and then voted upon by the people of 
the stake in their stated conferences. The choice of the First 
Presidency is made, of course, upon mature consideration of the 
character and fitness of the candidates, and may be vetoed by 
the vote of the people, upon allegation and proof of charges suf- 
ficiently grave to constitute definite disqualification. These of- 
ficers, when once properly elected by popular vote, have, as al- 
ready specified, a judicial authority within their own district 



290 THE REAL MORMONISM 

equal to that of the general authorities of the Church. (Doc. 
and Cov. cvii 136-37.) 

The stake Presidency has authority over the spiritual and 
educational affairs of the district, including the recommendation 
of missionaries for foreign work, the selection of home mission- 
aries within the stake, and the direction of the latter, also, all 
matters relating to the moral, spiritual and temporal welfare of 
the people. They act somewhat as the bishops of prelatical 
churches in the scope of their powers, also in their relationships 
to the ward presidents, or bishops, who correspond to the parish 
priests of such bodies. The stake Presidency also exercises 
direct regular supervision over all stake quorums, such as those 
of the High Priests and elders; these being regularly organized 
under stake auspices, and belonging to the stake, rather than to 
the ward, although, as occasionally happens, one or more quor- 
ums, as of elders, may exist within the limits of a ward. 

Apart from general administrative affairs, the stake Presidency 
regularly presides at the monthly priesthood meeting and at the 
quarterly conferences of stake membership, both of which are 
important functions in the religious and community life of the 
district. At the priesthood meeting, which is a sort of stake 
senate, the reports of the bishops and communications from the 
First Presidency, and other general authorities, are received and 
read, and matters of doctrine and stake administration are dis- 
cussed and acted upon. While distinctly a deliberative, and, to 
a considerable extent, also, a legislative body, the monthly meet- 
ing is of primary importance in promoting mutual understand- 
ing and cooperation among persons holding the priesthood in the 
stake, who thus enjoy the advantages of association with others 
outside of their own wards and quorums. In short, it is one of 
the most effective means for promoting mutual understanding 
and maintaining a spirit of unity among members of the priest- 
hood. 

Of scarcely less importance, and of somewhat greater interest 
to the general public is the quarterly conference of the entire 
membership of the stake. At such meetings the people of the 
stake, men and women, priesthood and laity, exercise the right 
of voting upon all matters in discussion, that affect them spir- 
itually or temporally. Among such matters are the elections of 
general and stake officers, who, as previously explained, are 
regularly nominated by the First Presidency, and then submitted 
to the votes of the people in conference. General and stake of- 
ficers already in office are also regularly " sustained " in these 
conferences, their names being presented, as if for original elec- 
tion, and voted upon by the entire membership. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 291 

Such opportunities to " sustain," or reject, any officer what- 
ever, occurring four times in a year, give clear indication of the 
feelings of the people, also of the continued faithfulness of the 
officers. Undoubtedly many people in the Church have strong 
personal objections to some of those set over them in office; 
however, the rule is strictly observed that only proved unworthi- 
ness or unfaithfulness in an officer is sufficient ground for im- 
peachment, or even of failure to sustain him formally. There 
can be no doubt but what such disaffection as would lead to non- 
election of an officer, or the failure to sustain him in any given 
stake, would be made the subject of serious investigation and 
earnest efforts at reconciliation, in case of non-proof of charges 
made. Nor, in other points of view, is the voting of the Mor- 
mon people in any sense perfunctory, or an unmeaning perform- 
ance. To be sure, the right of nomination is not vested in the 
ranks, which ratify, rather than initiate in this matter, but this 
appears in some real senses a distinct contribution to stable and 
effective government, and in no way really undemocratic. That 
this is true must be obvious, when we consider that the moral 
end of government is proper administration of public affairs, 
and not the gratification of personal or party ambitions. Thus, 
in France, for example, the President is elected by the Senate, 
rather than by popular vote, and this procedure has resulted in 
no conspicuous miscarriages of judgment. Also, as contem- 
plated by the United States Constitution, the President is chosen 
by the College of Electors, which, in turn, is chosen by popular 
vote. Originally, the members of this College had complete 
freedom of choice, as the delegates or representatives of the peo- 
ple, who left the matter entirely to their judgment. But, with 
the growth of partisan politics, not wholly an improvement on 
the original plan, their functions gradually became merely 
formal. At present, unofficial cliques and " machines " largely 
engineer the nomination and election of public officers, and the 
people have no choice but to ratify or reject their candidates at 
the polls. Our party government scheme is too often tainted 
with considerations quite foreign to real statesmanship; and this 
is the penalty that we must pay for the doubtful privilege of 
choosing our executive officers more or less directly. Further- 
more, we have no right of voting periodically to " sustain " or 
displace any unfaithful or unworthy officials; the impeachment 
or removal of such an one in a high office being a difficult and 
tedious process. We may judge, therefore, whether the " Mor- 
mon " system, which certainly works very far toward the end of 
incurring faithful and competent officers in important positions, 
is so very undemocratic, after all. 



292 THE REAL MORMONISM 

At the quarterly conferences of the stake membership, also, 
many matters relating to the life and welfare of the people are 
regularly introduced and voted upon. Such matters may be in- 
troduced by any member, if submitted in the prescribed manner, 
and through the recognized channels. This, also, is an excellent 
plan, in no sense abrogatory of personal rights — unless the most 
conspicuous element in such is the precipitation of discussion, 
often useless and acrimonious — but it is rather a contribution 
toward efficiency, according to the often-recommended principle 
of " doing all things decently and in order." 

Beneath the stake authorities, and, in matters spiritual and 
ecclesiastical, directly responsible to them, come the authorities 
of the several wards. The ward is, in fact, the ecclesiastical 
unit of the stake, to which it is related precisely as are the sep- 
arate stakes to the general authorities of the Church. More- 
over, it is the organization that most intimately affects the in- 
dividual; being closer to his personal life and interests than 
either the stake or general authorities. 

Each ward, as previously explained, is presided over by a 
bishop, who, with two counselors, constitutes its presidency. 
Under the immediate supervision of this presidency, or bishopric, 
are, as already explained, the several quorums of the lesser priest- 
hood; also, the ward branches of the official Church societies 
and organizations. These latter are the Women's Relief Soci- 
ety; the Young Men's and the Young Ladies' Mutual Improve- 
ment Associations; the Primary Association; also, a ward Re- 
ligion Class, and the Sunday School organization. Such ward 
associations, while under the supervision of the ward bishopric, 
are regularly formed and accredited branches of general bodies, 
whose activities affect the whole Church. They are efficient 
helpers to the bishopric, both in dispensing relief to the needy, 
and in promoting the moral, religious and intellectual welfare 
of the people. They will be treated and discussed in the proper 
place. 

In addition to these numerous responsibilities, the bishop ex- 
ercises the general functions of pastor; superintending all re- 
ligious rites and offices in his ward; issuing recommendations 
for persons wishing to enter any of the temples, or to remove 
to other wards; receiving the tithes and other offerings of the 
people, and rendering such advice and assistance as may be 
required by any in his charge. Under the direction of the stake 
Presidency, the bishop also convenes the periodical ward con- 
ferences, and, in the absence of a higher authority, who fre- 
quently assumes the chair by courtesy, presides over its delibera- 
tions. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 293 

At these ward conferences all officers, both general, stake and 
ward, are elected or " sustained " ; ward business is transacted, 
and reports from local organizations and quorums are received. 
It is to the ward, in short, what the quarterly conference is to 
the stake, and the general conference to the whole Church. 
Although, of course, effective only in transacting ward business 
and defining the local attitude toward general Church and com- 
munity affairs, it is an efficient instrument for promoting local 
action among the people, and bringing them into close associa- 
tion, as a sort of " committee of the whole," in addition to their 
organization and quorum work. 

The system of Church courts is closely related to the general 
organization of its government. These courts, while convened 
usually to try and decide causes based upon charges against the 
character or conduct of members of the Church, and empowered 
to disfellowship or excommunicate the guilty, also take cogni- 
zance of matters in dispute between such members in good stand- 
ing, which cannot be reconciled by the offices of the teachers 
and others representing Church authority. In no case have 
such courts attempted to review or reverse the decisions of civil 
courts, either in matters criminal or general. It is the rule, 
however, to formally try a member accused of public crime, and 
to administer to such the rebukes and disabilities available to 
Church authority, if guilty. 

There are three regularly organized courts and as many special 
tribunals, usually convened to try exceptional causes, and under 
exceptional conditions. The three former are: the ward 
bishop's court, the stake high council, and the Council of the 
First Presidency. The three latter are: the Presiding Bishop's 
Court, convened specifically to try charges against a " presiding 
high priest," the Council of High Priests Abroad, convened 
usually to decide important difficulties arising outside the organ- 
ized stakes of Zion; and the Traveling High Council of the 
Twelve Apostles. 

The ward court consists of the Bishop of the Ward and his 
two counselors, or, in event of the absence or disability of either 
of the counselors, with any High Priest selected by him, and 
acceptable to the litigating parties; in the event of the absence 
or disability of both counselors, with two High Priests, similarly 
chosen. The trial of any cause before this court proceeds in 
recognized fashion, by the taking of testimony and the argument 
of the case on both sides. The decision is rendered in writing, 
and represents the majority opinion of the three judges; the 
Bishop having the "casting vote," in case of disagreement be- 
tween his counselors. Thus, a decision agreed on by the Bishop 



294 THE REAL MORMONISM 

and one of his counselors is valid; but in case both counselors 
disagree with the Bishop, there is no decision, and the case must 
be retried, or be appealed to the High Council of the stake. 

The Stake High Council, sitting as a court, consists of the 
twelve High Councillors, or any one or several of their six 
" alternates " filling vacancies, and is presided over by the Stake 
Presidency. This body may sit as a court of original jurisdic- 
tion, and so does in all stake matters, or as an appellate court, 
for the review of cases already tried in any of the ward courts. 
The High Council may review any case already tried by a ward 
court, whether the testimony be objected to or not, and may re- 
verse, modify or confirm the decision of the Bishop. In case 
of appeal, based on objections, or " exceptions," the Council may 
try the case over from the start, as if at original hearing. On 
the ground of irregularities or of new evidence, the High Coun- 
cil may direct a new trial by the Bishop's Court. The Council 
of the Twelve Apostles, sitting as a High Council, may also hear 
causes, but the practice of so doing is concerned wholly with 
considerations on the importance of the given case, such as would 
warrant this General Authority in assuming the function pre- 
scribed for the ward or stake authorities. 

Above all other Church courts, either regular or special, stands 
the First Presidency, when sitting as a Council. It has both 
original and appellate jurisdiction, and may sit as a court of orig- 
inal jurisdiction, or as an appellate body reviewing the evidence 
and decisions of any lower court. Although, as distinctly spe- 
cified {Doc. and Cov. cvii:36), the authority of the stake high 
councils is such that its decisions admit of no appeal, the Council 
of the First Presidency may order a retrial on the ground of 
irregularities, or, as specified, of " unrighteousness." In the 
hearing of any cause, either in the first instance or on appeal, the 
First Presidency may act alone (i.e. the First President and his 
two counselors) or with the assistance of twelve High Priests. 
{Doc. and Cov. cvii:79.) This Council is not inclined, however, 
to interfere in cases, except where considerations of general im- 
portance emerge, or where there has been evident irregularity in 
the original trial. It has exercised its prerogative most often on 
matters affecting claims in dispute, as on property rights, etc., 
between the authorities of separate stakes. In such matters it 
does not infringe on the jurisdiction of the civil courts, since it 
is concerned only with disputes and causes arising between mem- 
bers and organizations of the Church. None of the Church 
courts will take cognizance of cases involving disputes between 
members and non-members of the Church. 

The quorums of the Church organization, erroneously called 



ORGANIZATION OF THE MORMON CHURCH 295 

the " hierarchy," includes, according to general estimates, about 
90 per cent, of the total male membership, beginning with boys 
of twelve or thirteen, who are regularly inducted into the grade 
of deacons. In 1914, the official figures for the quorum mem- 
berships were as follows: 

Quorums of High Priests 1 1,450 

Quorums of Seventies 11,112 

Quorums of Elders .27,382 

Total Melchisedek Priesthood 49>944 

Quorums of Aaronic Priests 8,830 

Quorums of Teachers 10,607 

Quorums of Deacons 22,722 

Total Aaronic Priesthood 42,159 

Total Quorum Membership 92,103 



CHAPTER XXI 

" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 

In addition to the priesthood quorum organizations of the 
Mormon Church, there are several associations and societies, 
called collectively " auxiliary organizations." Like the several 
quorums of the Priesthood proper, as for example, the Seventy, 
these organizations have their separate and individual governing 
and administrative bodies, which operate under the immediate 
supervision of the Church authorities. Indeed, so intimately are 
these auxiliary bodies associated with the religious and com- 
munity life of the Mormon people that it is perfectly correct to 
include them in an exhaustive account of the Church proper. 
They example notably the Mormon tendency to organize and co- 
operate for mutual advantage. 

The earliest, also, the best known of these auxiliary organiza- 
tions is the Women's Relief Society, now an organization of 
national scope and associated with the National Council of 
Women. While organized by, and consisting almost entirely of 
Mormon members, it distributes benevolent assistance with an 
exemplary impartiality. Indeed, in any great calamity its name 
has always been conspicuous among generous dispensers of relief 
for the needy and impoverished. This society was founded by 
Joseph Smith at Nauvoo, 111., March 17, 1842. It was the first 
regular organization of women in the world, and also, as is be- 
lieved, the first association for the systematic distribution of 
beneficence. During the earlier years of Mormon occupancy of 
Utah the work of relief was largely in the hands of ward organi- 
zations, the relations between these branches being merely asso- 
ciative, and the connection with a general headship being rather 
loose and undefined. In 1877, however, stake societies were 
founded, which assumed control of work in the several wards, 
and in 1880 a general presidency was established. The advan- 
tage of the last step in the development was that the work of 
benevolence could be pursued in obedience to a systematic direc- 
torate, which, in turn, could be in close touch with the central 
authorities of the Church, 

296 



" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 297 

Each ward branch, presided over, in the usual fashion, by a 
president and two counselors, assisted by a clerk and treasurer, 
regularly enlist the services of several teachers, who visit the 
people of the ward, and ascertain their needs. Relief is then dis- 
pensed through the ward bishop. The ward officers regularly 
report their work to the stake authorities, who, in turn, report to 
the central presidency, which is thus kept in close and constant 
touch with the entire mechanism of the organization. Precisely 
as in the organization of the Church in general, the stake officers 
of the Relief Society regularly visit the wards under their direc- 
tion, and the central presidency similarly visit the stake organi- 
zations. There are now over 700 ward societies included in 64 
stakes, and about 100 Relief Society organizations maintained 
in connection with the important missions of the Church through- 
out the world. All of these together represent a membership of 
over 40,000. While by systematic work in ferreting out cases of 
need and reporting such to the bishops for prompt relief, finan- 
cial or otherwise, the Relief Society is instrumental in distribut- 
ing about $200,000 annually, it has also figured on generous scale 
in contributing to the relief of the sufferers by the San Fran- 
cisco fire, and other calamities, that have ranked it among the 
most practical agencies of benevolence in the world. 

In addition to the practical relief distributed by this society, 
it is a valuable adjunct to the practical work of the Church in 
affording a center for the sympathetic association of women in 
the practical activities of the community. The members of the 
branches meet constantly in sewing circles, in which clothing, 
carpets, quilts, etc., are made for use in Church buildings and 
in the homes of the poor. They also hold fairs, and unite in 
entertainments of other varieties to raise funds for charitable 
purposes. Certain of the women are regularly set apart to 
serve in the capacity of workers, and these do noble and unself- 
ish work in caring for the sick, assisting the bereaved, and 
caring for the dead. They also distribute closing, food, and 
medicines. 

Next to the Relief Society, both in point of age and also in 
importance in the life of the Church and of the community, come 
the Mutual Improvement Associations, known, respectively as 
the Young Men's and the Young Ladies' associations. These 
organizations are largely educational in character, being intended 
to form centres for personal training in matters pertaining pri- 
marily to the conduct of life and the principles of religion. 
The reason for the foundation of these organizations lay in the 
conviction of the authorities that there was an actual " necessity 
for a general organization of the young people into societies for 



298 THE REAL MORMONISM 

their mutual improvement — associations that should be separate 
from the priesthood, and yet so organized that they should be 
under its guidance, and for its strength." In the case of both 
organizations the original impulse came from the local societies 
formed for the purposes specified, which were gathered into 
stake and general associations with a strong central authority 
to direct all proceedings. The fact that local societies, more or 
less widely distributed throughout the Church wards, formed 
the real origins of the general body in each case examples the 
Mormon instinct for organization, also, the general desire of 
the people for advancement and improvement on educational 
and practical lines. That the idea of the authorities was to 
found organizations " separate from the priesthood " shows an 
intelligent comprehension of the fact that religion, while per- 
vading all the affairs of everyday life, as it does among the 
Mormons, should have an individual application, as well as one 
essentially official and organic. 

The development of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement 
Association is thus outlined by its former general secretary: 

"In 1873 it became the rule in some of the more thickly populated 
settlements of the Saints for the young people to form associations 
for entertainments and improvement. These were called night schools, 
literary societies, debating clubs, young men's clubs, or any other 
name that indicated the object of the gathering. Frequently they were 
solely for amusement, and, taking pattern after the early efforts in Salt 
Lake City, were formed to instruct the people by theatrical exhibitions 
and dramatic performances. In Weber county, about a dozen young 
men met, at the invitation of Apostle F. D. Richards, in his home, on 
the 20th day of April, 1873, to consider the importance of organizing 
themselves into a society for mutual improvement. . . . Meetings were 
thereafter held weekly, simple rules being adopted to govern the same, 
and a small mutual assessment was levied on the members to cover the 
expenses. The numbers grew until in a short time the association was 
compelled to move into the City Hall to accommodate the membership. 
. . . This association was not discontinued, but when the general move- 
ment was inaugurated, it was divided into four — one in each ward in the 
city. Other associations of like character were early formed in the set- 
tlements of the county, and improvement associations and literary soci- 
eties had also been organized in several wards of Salt Lake City, and 
in other places previous to the general movement in 1875." — Edward 
H. Anderson {The Past of Mutual Improvement, Improvement Era, 
November, 1897). 

The first of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associa- 
tions was formally organized in Salt Lake City, June 10, 1875. 
In the following December two elders appointed to the task of 
organizing such associations in the various stakes entered upon 
their duties, which they performed so thoroughly that, within a 
year from that date, over 100 branches had been formed, repre- 
senting a membership of more than 2,000. The ward branches, 



" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 299 

then formed, continued as separate organizations, with a gen- 
eral association holding regular meetings at stated times, until 
1878, when the work was placed in the hands of the several 
stake authorities, and administered as stake organizations. Fi- 
nally, in 1880, a general central board of direction was created, 
with a general superintendent and two assistants, who directed 
the work for the entire Church, assisted by a secretary, a treas- 
urer, a music director and a board of thirty-four " aids." The 
stake and ward organizations are similarly presided over each by 
a superintendent and two assistants. The membership is about 
34,000. 

"The main function of the General Board is the supervision of all 
the Improvement associations throughout the world; to encourage and 
foster the study of the Scriptures ; to recommend, publish and furnish 
other literature for the various associations ; to formulate and arrange 
programs and outlines ; to provide for the holding of conferences, con- 
ventions and other meetings; to establish and conduct missionary work 
among the young; to organize, in connection with local authorities, 
boards, committees, etc., in new stakes and in outlying territory; and 
to undertake and carry on many other things that tend to promote 
good citizenship and general welfare. 

" Stake officers supervise the work of the local organizations. The 
ward presidents [superintendents] conduct the class work of their re- 
spective associations, look after the recreations and amusement in the 
wards, and labor with, and are helpful to, the young men in their 
several jurisdictions." — Joseph B. Keeler {The Lesser Priesthood, 
etc., pp. 155-156.). 

The subjects of study in the ward associations included theol- 
ogy, history, science and general literature, for which regular 
text books were provided and reference libraries selected. In 
1 89 1 the general authorities began the regular issuance of 
" manuals," pamphlets specially prepared for instruction along 
definite selected lines, and issued annually. These manuals have 
included some of the following practical and profitable subjects: 
"Spiritual Growth — Lessons on Practical Religion" (1908- 
1909) ; " The Making of the Man " (1909-1910) ; " The Making 
of a Citizen — Lessons in Economics" (1910-1911); "The 
Making of a Citizen — Problems in Economics, Agriculture and 
Public Finance" (1911-1912). In addition to these, regular 
manuals for the "junior classes" have been issued, including: 
"The Acts of the Apostles" — analysis and explanations (1907- 
1908) ; " The Development of Character — Lessons on Conduct" 
(1911-1912); "The Development of Character — Lessons on 
Success" (1911-1912), etc. In 1897 was begun the publication 
of the Improvement Era, the recognized organ of the Associa- 
tions, a monthly magazine of literature and subjects of interest 
to the general reader. The regular work of the associations 
include also selected reading courses of literary, scientific and 



300 THE REAL MORMONISM 

practical books. Among these may be mentioned the following 
selections: for 1906-1907, John Halifax, Rasselas; for 1907- 
1908, Secret of Achievement, Great Truths, The Strength of 
Being Clean, Silas Marner; for 1 908-1 909, A Tale of Two 
Cities, Hypatia; for 1909-19 10, Ancient America, Courage, The 
Crisis, Our Inland Sea; for 1910-1911, Brewer's Citizenship, 
Emerson's Essays, " Friendship, Prudence, Heroism " ; Lorna 
Doone, Captain Bonneville; for 1911-1912, Dry Farming, Cities 
of the Sun, John Marvel, Assistant, The Young Man and the 
World. Similarly well-selected lists have been prepared for the 
junior members, as follows: for 1906-1907, True to His Home; 
for 1907-1908, Tom Brown's School Days, Wild Animals I 
Have Known; for 1908-1909, The Last of the Mohicans, Cor- 
tez; for 1909-1910, Hapgood's Life of Lincoln, John Stevens' 
Courtship, The Castle Builder; for 1910-1911, The Bishop's 
Shadow, Timothy Titcomb's Letters, Widow O'Callighan's 
Boys; for 1911-1912, Good Hunting, The Young Forester, Boy 
Wanted, Alfred the Great. 

The Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, while 
fulfilling the same function in the educational and social life of 
the young women of the Church, as does the Young Men's Asso- 
ciation for the men, had an entirely separate origin. It began, 
in fact, not so much as an educational agency as one for promot- 
ing character and efficiency, coupled with firm religious convic- 
tion. The movement for the organization of this association 
was first launched by President Brigham Young, who formed 
the first Cooperative Retrenchment Association among the 
daughters of his own family. Having in mind the formation of 
an organization among the young women, " which should pro- 
vide them with a training school, as it were, for their spiritual 
and intellectual development," he began the work by a direct 
appeal to the higher intelligence among them, which should 
rebel at the growing tendencies toward extravagance and friv- 
olity. Accordingly, at a meeting held in his home on Novem- 
ber 28, 1869, he made the following explanation of his position 
in these matters: 

" All Israel are looking to my family and watching the example set 
by my wives and children. For this reason I desire to organize my 
own family first into a society for the promotion of habits of order, 
thrift, industry, and charity; and, above all things, I desire them to 
retrench from their extravagance in dress, in eating and even in speech. 
The time has come when the sisters must agree to give up their follies 
of dress and cultivate a modest apparel, a meek deportment, and to 
set an example before the people of the world worthy of imitation. I 
am weary of the manner in which our women seek to outdo each other 
in all the foolish fashions of the world. For instance, if a sister in- 
vites her friends to visit her, she must have quite as many dishes as 



" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 301 

her neighbor spread on a former occasion, and indeed she must have 
one or two more in order to show how much superior her table is to 
her neighbor's. This silly rivalry has induced a habit of extravagance 
in our food; it has involved fathers and husbands in debt, and it has 
made slaves of the mothers and daughters. It is not right. It is dis- 
pleasing to the Lord, and the poor groan under the burden of trying 
to ape the customs of those who have more means. Then, again, our 
daughters are following the vain and foolish fashions of the world. 
I want you to set your own fashions. Let your apparel be neat and 
comely, and the workmanship of your own hands. . . . Make your 
garments plain, just to clear the ground in length, without ruffles or 
panniers or other foolish and useless trimmings and styles. I should 
like you to get up your own fashions, and set the style for all the rest 
of the world who desire sensible and comely fashions to follow. I 
want my daughters to learn to work and to do it. Not to spend their 
time for naught; for our time is all the capital God has given us, and 
if we waste that we are bankrupt indeed. . . . We are about to or- 
ganize a Retrenchment Association, which I want you all to join, and 
I want you to vote to retrench in your dress, in your tables, in your 
speech, wherein you have been guilty of silly, extravagant speeches 
and light-mindedness of thought. Retrench in everything that is bad 
and worthless, and improve in everything that is good and beautiful. 
Not to make yourselves unhappy, but to live so that you may be truly 
happy in this life and the life to come." — Susa Young Gates (History 
of the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association, pp. 8-10). 

Following on this eloquent plea by their father, the young 
daughters of President Young adopted a set of resolutions, con- 
taining among other matters the following sentences: 

" Resolved, that inasmuch as the Saints have been commanded to gather 
out from Babylon and not partake of her sins, that they may receive not 
of her plagues, we feel that we should not condescend to imitate the 
pride, folly and fashions of the world. And inasmuch as the Church of 
Jesus Christ is likened unto a city set on a hill, to be a beacon light to 
all nations, it is our duty to set examples for others, instead of seeking 
to pattern after them. . . . 

" Resolved, inasmuch as cleanliness is a characteristic of a Saint, and 
an imperative duty, we shall discard the dragging skirts, and for 
decency's sake those disgustingly short ones extending no lower than 
the boot tops. We also regard ' panniers,' and whatever approximates in 
appearance toward the ' Grecian bend,' a burlesque on the natural beauty 
and dignity of the human female form, and will not disgrace our persons 
by wearing them. And also, as fast as it shall be expedient, we shall 
adopt the wearing of home-made articles, and exercise our united influ- 
ence in rendering them fashionable." — Ibid. pp. 11-12. 

Commenting on the work of the Associations founded in the 
excellent resolutions quoted above, Mrs. Gates gives the follow- 
ing fervent testimony : 

"It is good for us to study the words and acts of those early days. 
The spirit of worldly pleasure and vain fashions was rapidly creeping 
into the ranks of the daughters of Zion. We women are no better 
than we should be to-day, nay, nor half as good ; but can the mind picture 
where we should have been, if the training and check of these associa- 
tions had not been given? No one will deny that the women of the 
Church have been magnificently disciplined by their various organiza- 



302 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

tions, beginning with the Relief Society; and it would be a much easier 
thing for a great reform movement to sweep through our midst to-day 
than it was thirty-five years ago. All in all, there is much to encourage 
the sociologist in the steady improvement and progress of the women of 
the Church. It would be a blind if not an ungenerous historian who 
would not consider the cheering conditions which obtain among us to-day 
as the result of these early struggles." — Ibid. pp. 35-36. 

Largely through the earnest efforts of Eliza R. Snow and 
Mary I. Home, the society thus founded by President Young 
among the members of his own family was extended, first in 
Salt Lake City, and later among the further stakes of Zion. 
The branches organized by these ladies were divided, according 
to membership, into senior and junior departments, known, re- 
spectively, as the Ladies' Cooperative Retrenchment Association 
and the Young Ladies' Retrenchment Association. The spheres 
of usefulness of both were greatly widened, and the membership 
much increased, when, in 1880, all were united in the present 
organization, with a central presidency under the immediate 
direction of the general authorities of the Church. The organi- 
zation is much the same as that of the Young Men's Association, 
having a general presidency controlling stake presidencies and 
these, in turn, directing work in the wards. 

As at present organized, the work of the Young Ladies' Mu- 
tual Improvement Associations embraces the study of theology, 
domestic science, physiology and hygiene, literature and history. 
" Opportunity is also afforded members in the practice and man- 
agement of deliberative assemblies, in the art of public speaking, 
and in work demanding self-effort along the channel of general 
culture." The membership is about 35,000. 

The auxiliary organizations, or organizations separate from 
the quorums of the priesthood, are the Sunday School, the Pri- 
mary Association, the General Church Board of Education and 
the Religion Class. All of these, while under the direction of 
the general authorities of the Church, have their own separate 
organization, usually formed along the lines indicated in the 
societies already described. Each one has a strong central au- 
thority, which works through stake and ward organizations, thus 
securing complete uniformity and efficiency in the work. The 
Sunday schools of the Mormon Church are graded for classes 
of various ages, whose instruction in religion varies accordingly. 
There are six grades, or " departments," as follows : ( 1 ) the 
Kindergarten; (2) the Primary, covering two years of instruc- 
tion; (3) the First Intermediate, covering four years; (4) the 
Second Intermediate, covering four years; (5) the theological 
Department, for advanced pupils, also covering four years, and 
(6) the Parents' Department. The courses of instruction, 



" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 303 

which are regularly laid out by the General Board of the Sunday 
School Union, include graded and analyzed lessons in the Scrip- 
tures, noted events in Jewish and New Testament history, illus- 
trated by stories and songs for the younger pupils, and by refer- 
ences to literature and recognized text books for the elder 
pupils. The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants 
are included in these courses, as also the doctrines peculiar to 
the Mormon Church. The following article, prepared by the 
authorities of the Deseret Sunday School Union gives the essen- 
tial facts: 

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has from very 
early in its history made Sunday school service one of the very promi- 
nent features in its organization, although the work was not formally 
organized until the year 1849, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Robert Raikes 
of Sunday school endeavor, in the Rocky Mountain West, being Richard 
Ballantyne, a lifelong worker in the service of the Master. From an 
extremely modest beginning — the first organized school having a mem- 
bership of less than thirty — the Sunday schools of the Latter-day 
Saints have developed with remarkable rapidity until to-day the total 
enrollment of officers, teachers and members, according to the latest 
compiled statistics, is 179,254, with 1247 schools and an average attend- 
ance of members of 60 per cent, with all schools graded and otherwise 
fully equipped for the most successful training of the young and old in 
the ways of the Lord. 

" In the third year of the occupancy of the Salt Lake valley by the 
Latter-day Saints, on Sunday, December 9th, 1849, the first Sunday school 
to be held in the Rocky Mountain region was organized by Richard Bal- 
lantyne in Salt Lake City, there being present about twenty of his neigh- 
bors, old and young. The house in which the school was held had been 
erected by Mr. Ballantyne' s own hands, with some help from his friends. 
It was built of sundried brick, or adobes, and contained two rooms. For 
the first few years, the work of this school and of others, subsequently 
organized, was somewhat experimental, with the courses of study rather 
mixed, partaking of the dual nature of Sunday and day school, but 
with moral and religious training predominating. Later, regular plans 
for class work were formulated and the work throughout the Church 
was systematized and made universal. In 1866, under the editorship of 
George Q. Cannon, one of the Presidency of the Church, the publication 
of a Sunday school journal, called the Juvenile Instructor, was begun. 
This became the official organ of the Sunday schools of the Church and 
is still being published as such, now being in its forty-eighth volume. It 
is a magazine of eighty pages and is the medium through which general 
instructions and class-work outlines are disseminated. 

"Among those prominently identified with the Sunday school work 
in its infancy, in addition to Richard Ballantyne, may be mentioned 
Brigham Young, Daniel H. Wells, George A. Smith, Wilford Woodruff, 
George Q. Cannon, William H. Sherman, Edward L. Sloan, George God- 
dard, Robert L. Campbell, David O. Calder, Brigham Young, Jr., Albert 
Carrington, John B. Maiben and John Morgan. 

" By 1872, a total of 190 schools had been organized, located in twenty 
counties in Utah and two counties in Idaho, having a total membership 
of 14,781. About twenty-seven years later, there were 982 schools and 
the enrollment totaled 119,998, schools having been organized in prac- 



304 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

tically every ecclesiastical district, or ward, of the Church at home and 
in many of the missions abroad. Wherever the Latter-day Saints lo- 
cated and commenced the reclamation of the desert, they organized Sun- 
day and day schools. According to the latest official report, there were 
1247 schools, with a total enrollment of practically 180,000. The average 
weekly attendance is 60 per cent of the enrollment. A rather remarkable 
showing and an indication of the interest taken in Sunday school work 
by the Latter-day Saints. 

"The directing head and supreme authority, under the Presidency of 
the Church, of the Sunday school movement is the General Board of the 
Deseret Sunday School Union, composed at present of thirty-six represen- 
tative men from almost every walk and avocation in life and including 
the President of the Church and his two counsellors, all of whom, in 
common with all other Sunday school workers, serve without financial 
compensation. The Union itself includes every Sunday school organi- 
zation of the Church. Under the General Board, there are Stake 
organizations directing the work in their districts and these Stake boards 
supervise and direct the operation of the Ward organizations — the in- 
dividual schools. The wards comprise small towns or divisions of 
large towns and cities, and the stakes correspond to counties or smaller 
divisions of thickly populated sections. The General Board is made 
up of a superintendent, first and second assistant superintendents, gen- 
eral secretary, general treasurer and associate members. The present 
general superintendent is Joseph Fielding Smith, President of the 
Church. The Stake organization is composed of a superintendent, first 
and second assistant superintendents, secretary and treasurer, as- 
sistant secretary and treasurer, chorister, organist, librarian, usher and 
department supervisors, there usually being at least twenty-two of the 
latter. The stake board conducts regular and frequent meetings of all 
workers within its jurisdiction for the purpose of instruction and 
lesson study, largely after the order of a teachers' institute. 

"The Sunday schools themselves enroll all persons of 4 years of 
age and upwards who can be interested in the service. They are fully 
organized and graded and pursue a regular course of study, covering 
a period of sixteen years in the grades and an indefinite time in what 
is called the parents' department. The kindergarten department takes 
the beginner at 4 years of age, or even somewhat earlier, and the 
students pass successively through that department, the primary, first 
intermediate, second intermediate, junior theological, senior theological 
and into the parents' department. In some few schools, a normal or 
teachers' training department is maintained and quite a number have 
an advanced-theological department for those who do not care to 
identify themselves with the parents' class. The present course of 
study includes appropriate kindergarten work for that department; two 
years of Old and New Testament stories for the primary department; 
one year of Book of Mormon stories, two years of Old and New Tes- 
tament stories and one year of Church history for the first intermediate 
department; two years of Book of Mormon history and two years of 
Old Testament history for the second intermediate department; one 
year of the subject, "Jesus the Christ," one year of the subject, "The 
Apostolic Age," one year of Church history and one year of doctrines 
of the Church for the theological department, while the parents' de- 
partment considers all subjects vital to the home and family relations, 
interspersed with topics of general and special interest. The schools 
are officered by a superintendent and two assistants, secretaries, treas- 
urers, librarians, choristers, organists and ushers, and every depart- 



i 

" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 305 

ment of the school has a supervisor and one or more teachers. Local 
board meetings for consultation, instruction and lesson study, and made 
up of all school officers and teachers, are held weekly. The organiza- 
tion of the schools in the foreign missions is, where practicable, identi- 
cal with that of those with the body of the Church. As an example 
of the work done each Sabbath day by the individual Sunday schools 
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the following 
programme of a regular session is given : 

9:30 a.m. — Prayer meeting of officers and teachers. 

10 o'clock — School called to order, following five minutes of instrumental music. 

Roll call. 

Singing. 

Prayer. 

Abstract of minutes. 

Singing — Sacramental. 

Sacrament gem in concert. 

Administration of Sacrament. 

Sacrament thought by individual. 

Concert recitation of Scriptural extracts. 

Singing practice. 

10:45 — Department work. 

11:45 — Reassembly for closing exercises. 

Remarks (if desired). 

Singing. 

Prayer. 

"In addition to publishing the Juvenile Instructor, the Deseret Sun- 
day School Union owns and operates a fully stocked book and station- 
ery store at its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The book store 
is able to furnish everything in the way of supplies necessary for 
Sunday school workers and does a large volume of business. The 
finances of the Deseret Sunday School Union are managed by an execu- 
tive committee. On the third Sunday in each September, every officer, 
teacher and member of every Sunday school in the Church is expected 
to contribute five cents each to the general fund. Of the total so con- 
tributed, twenty per cent goes to the support of the Stake organizations 
and the remainder to the general fund. This is the sole collection made 
for the^ general Sunday school cause. The individual schools provide 
for their own expenses, this work usually being in the hands of an 
amusement committee, which provides profit-making entertainments 
from time to time and thereby makes the school self-sustaining. 

"At regular intervals, appropriate topics are considered in open as- 
sembly and in each department of every school in the Church, and 
certain days are designated for their consideration. Among these lat- 
ter may be mentioned, ' Humane day,' ' Washington's birthday,' ' Lin- 
coln's birthday,' ' Fourth of July,' ' Pioneer day,' ' Bird day,' ' Arbor 
day,' ' Thanksgiving ' and ' Christmas.' " 

Like all the other activities associated with the Mormon 
Church and people, the Sunday School organization is complete 
and efficient. Its usefulness has been greatly augmented, how- 
ever, within recent years by the inauguration of the parents' 
class movement, which still further extends the sphere of reli- 
gious instruction. The aims of the new department and the 
details of its organization are set forth in the following " Letter 
of the General (Sunday School) Superintendency, ,, issued in 
1906: 

"The object of parents' classes is, — first, to aid parents in general 

culture; and secondly, to bring about a closer relationship between the 



3 o6 THE REAL MORMONISM 

home and the Sunday school, that parents may give more efficient aid 
in the general work of the Sunday school. 

" Topics pertaining to the environment of the home, to the effect 
of one family's actions upon another's, to the influence of rewards 
and punishments as incentives to action, to the power of love as a 
disciplinary factor in the home — these and many kindred topics will 
aid the parents both as individuals and as heads of families. 

" In the co-operation of the home and the Sabbath School, it is de- 
sired that parents will manifest an interest in getting children to be 
punctual, and to be regular in attendance; to take an active part in the 
singing, and in memory work; and above all, that parents will impress 
their children with the importance of preparing lessons. In this respect, 
it is one of the objects of parents' classes to aid the members to 
render practical assistance in the matter of home preparation. In brief, 
parents' classes aim to establish unity between the home and the 
Sunday school, in order to benefit the parents, the children, and the 
school. 

" The parents' classes are primarily for the Latter-day Saints, though 
non-members of the Church are invited and should be made welcome. 
All parents attending the Sunday school, not connected with other 
classes, should be enrolled in the parents' class, unless they are officers 
or teachers, or have other duties in the school. A personal canvass of 
the ward should be made and an explanation of the objects of the classes 
given, to induce the parents to join. 

"A suitable person should be selected as supervisor, who will direct 
and control the exercises and discussions in a wise way. In some 
places the Bishop of the ward or one of his counsellors is serving in 
this capacity with excellent results. One or more assistants may be 
chosen to aid the supervisor. 

"The Stake Boards should also have one or more workers to look 
after this branch, and a department of the Union meeting should be es- 
tablished for it. In short: parents' classes should be considered as an 
integral department of the Sunday school and treated in the same re- 
spect as the other departments, except in the matter of statistics, as here- 
after explained. 

"It is desirable that the parents' classes be held at no other time 
but during the Sunday school hour on Sunday. It is the purpose to 
imbue the parents as far as possible with a genuine Sunday school 
spirit, and this can only be acquired by attendance at the Sunday school 
and partaking of its influence; therefore parents should join the chil- 
dren in the opening and closing exercises of the school and participate 
in the spirit thereof. It is very desirable, where conditions are favor- 
able, that a room be provided in the meeting house for the use of the 
class. Where this is not practicable, a room in a house adjacent to 
the place of meeting may be obtained. 

"After the general opening exercises of the school, the parents' class 
should march to the room specially provided for its class work, where 
the following suggestive plan may be successfully followed: 

" i. Roll call. 

"2. Papers or addresses should be rendered on the topic before the 
class, by one or more persons, and then a full and free discussion 
should be entered into upon the subject presented. The discussion of 
the topic should not consume all the time; but a few minutes at the 
close of each recitation should be devoted to a summary of one or 
more important truths. These, the members of the class should de- 



" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 307 

termine to introduce into their home lives. Just how to do this will be 
prompted by the nature of the subject; it may be by improvement 
in personal habits, by improvement in home government, or by assist- 
ing the children in the lessons for the next Sunday. 

" Perfect freedom should be encouraged in asking and answering 
questions pertaining to the subject in hand. The members who think 
and act are those who get most good out of the class work. 

"Three lessons will be provided for each month. For Fast Day and 
an occasional fifth Sunday, the class supervisors may prepare special 
work. The Fast Day exercise may consist of testimonies on the effec- 
tiveness of the parents' class movement, as well as on the truthful- 
ness of the Gospel." 

The importance of the activities represented by the Sunday- 
Schools of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may 
be understood by the following figures, given for the year 19 12. 
In that year the total number of schools in all the stakes and 
missions of the Church was 1,303, which represented a total 
enrolment of 181,152 persons, including officers, teachers and 
pupils. Of these the total number of officers and teachers was 
20,656; the total number enrolled in the graded departments was 
136,359, of which 113,081 were between the ages of 4 and 20 
years. In the Kindergarten department were enrolled 29,695; 
in the Primary, 25,459; in the First Intermediate, 32,484; in the 
Second Intermediate, 22,325; in the Theological Department, 
26,396, and in the Parents' Department, 23,290. 

In addition to the Sunday school organization in the Deseret 
Sunday School Union, there is another organization having in 
charge the instruction of the young. This is known as the Pri- 
mary Association, which is an organization of children officered 
by women. The Primary Association has a threefold object: 
(1) to promote spiritual development in the children; (2) to 
educate them in the ways of the Lord; (3) to encourage indus- 
trial occupations as an offset to idleness, street roaming and care- 
less habits. The means employed for achieving these excellent 
ends include both class instruction in religious, literary and 
general topics and also such amusements as socials, concerts and 
dances. It is nearly the most admirable expression of the in- 
stinct for organization and mutual association, so conspicuous in 
all Mormon affairs. It serves to inculcate, not only the ex- 
cellent principles for which it was founded, but also to instil 
into the growing mind the habit of association and the instinct 
of solidarity, which is the first step in real morality and valid 
religion, if the words of Christ are to be accepted as a guide in 
any real sense. The officers of the Primary Association, from 
the General Board to the smallest ward organization, are the 
"mothers and daughters of the Latter-day Saints communities," 
women who have a vital interest in the affairs of the organiza- 



3 o8 THE REAL MORMONISM 

tion, and whose children are being benefited by its influence. 
According to authoritative figures compiled in 1912, the Pri- 
mary Associations throughout the Church include a membership 
of 60,278, 24,849 boys and 35,429 girls, whose class instruction 
is divided into five distinct grades. There are also 9,726 of- 
ficers of various degrees, from the General Presidency to the 
ward assistants. Over 3,000 children are enrolled whose parents, 
either one or both, are not members of the Mormon Church. 
The Primary Association conducts an excellent and well-edited 
children's magazine, The Children's Friend. 

There are two other important organizations, controlled, like 
the others, by a general board, and extending their activities to 
the stakes. These are the Board of Education and the Religion 
Class. The former is concerned principally with the matter of 
general education, including religious instruction, which, in spite 
of the unfavorable reports constantly circulated, has always been 
a matter of prime importance among the Mormon people, from 
the earliest days to the present. Among the most famous say- 
ings of the Prophet Joseph Smith are those to the effect that the 
" glory of God is intelligence," and that a " man is saved no 
faster than he gets knowledge," and these principles, constantly 
and persistently reiterated, are among the most firmly accepted 
beliefs of the people. The overdone charges of ignorance 
against Joseph Smith and his earliest associates by no means 
explain his own thirst for knowledge, as shown in the fact that 
he applied himself vigorously to the study of Hebrew, law and 
other learned branches, nor yet the enthusiasm for better educa- 
tion begotten in the minds of some of his most forceful, although 
little learned associates. 

It is not strange, in view of these facts, to find that the gen- 
eral enthusiasm for knowledge, as exampled in the Mutual Im- 
provement Associations, and others, should ultimately crystallize 
in the establishment of the Church Board of Education, which 
conducts and controls the operation of thirty-one distinct schools, 
including two of collegiate grade. The following outline of the 
educational system of the Church, since the settlement of Utah, 
was furnished by Mr. Horace H. Cummings, General Superin- 
tendent of Church Schools: 

" On February 28, 1850, about two and a half years after the Pioneers 
arrived in Utah, the Legislature passed an act incorporating the "Uni- 
versity of Deseret," now the Utah University. An appropriation of 
$5,000 a year was also made to maintain it. The curriculum provided for 
ancient and modern languages, astronomy, geology, chemistry, agricul- 
ture, engineering, and other branches of science. Elementary schools 
were also opened in Salt Lake City and all the principal settle- 
ments. ... 
"At first a tuition was charged students of the University as well 



" AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS " 309 

as the pupils of the elementary schools, but as population and wealth 
increased they all became free. Thus a most excellent system of public 
schools was provided by the Mormons who gladly maintained and 
patronized them, and did all in their power to render them efficient. 

"As religion was not taught in public schools the church continued 
the original practice of maintaining church schools. The Brigham 
Young Academy was founded at Provo, October 16, 1875 and the Brig- 
ham Young College at Logan in 1877, the latter being endowed by its 
founder, whose name it bears, with a valuable tract of land near Logan 
City. The deed of trust granting this endowment provided that besides 
the usual subjects then taught in colleges, the curriculum of this school 
should include instruction in what are now known as agriculture, manual 
training, or mechanic arts, domestic science, domestic art, etc., branches 
which were not taught in other institutions at that time, but which have 
since become so important. 

" Under the wise direction of the General Church Board of Education, 
during the next decade, a system of church schools was established 
throughout the principal stakes of Zion. An Academy to do high school 
work was established in each of the most populous stakes, and seminaries 
for elementary work in the most wealthy wards. 

" In all these schools, besides the branches taught in the public schools 
of like grade, theology was required, and the spirit and atmosphere of 
the schools made to conform to the ideals of the church as far as pos- 
sible. 

"The seminaries, however, did not continue many years because of 
the great expense to educate the vast number of children of elementary 
school age; but the academies still persist, though several discontinued 
during the financial depression of the early nineties. 

"Dr. Karl G. Maeser, the first principal of the Brigham Young 
Academy, was also chosen as the first General Superintendent of the 
church schools, and under the guidance of the General Church Board 
of Education the peculiarities of the present school system were de- 
veloped. He had great ability, both as a teacher and an organizer, and 
he originated many excellent features that are still peculiar to our 
church schools and have proved to be of the highest value. His labors 
came timely, for the growth of the church and the increased number of 
its schools demanded more perfect systemization and his peculiar abil- 
ity had a unique field in which to operate. 

"The problem oi financing the church schools has always been a 
serious one, and in times of business panics or serious persecutions, it 
has several times_ become desperate. In many instances the devoted 
teachers have willingly given their services free, as missionaries, or for 
half pay, or whatever amount the people could give them, since the 
only sources of revenue are tithes and voluntary contributions. 

"The Latter day Saints regret the present absence of religious 
training for the young. Public schools do not allow it ; churches are 
not supplying it, and very little Is given even in the home. While the 
intellect is now being trained, perhaps, as never before in the history 
of the race, the moral and religious instincts are correspondingly neg- 
lected. The chief aim of the church schools, therefore, is to make 
Latter day Saints of the young people — to put them into proper rela- 
tions with their Heavenly Father and their fellow man. 

"To accomplish this purpose they offer the usual courses in cultural 
and intellectual subjects, to which is added a goodly amount of indus- 
trial education and thorough courses in theology. Thus the head, the 
heart and the hand are trained together." 



3 io THE REAL MORMONISM 

Distinct from the Board of Education, but largely supplement- 
ing its work, is the organization of the Religion Classes, first 
founded in 1890. 

"The object as explained by the promoters of the organization was 
to furnish a means for the religious training of children of school age 
who do not regularly attend Church institutions of learning. It was 
created primarily to fill an educational need of the great mass of chil- 
dren of Latter-day Saint parentage. The practical training of the 
children in personal duties and requirements of the Gospel, as testi- 
mony bearing; prayer; the committing to memory of important pas- 
sages of Scripture; learning sacred songs and hymns; drawing les- 
sons from real life as found in biography; becoming acquainted with 
forms and ordinances of the Church, as well as Church government 
— these are some of the leading and concrete ideas that best express 
the character of the Religion Class. Two or three hours a week spent 
in the Sabbath Schools and like gatherings, so it was urged, was not 
sufficient time to devote to religious instruction as an offset to worldly 
and other detrimental influences. There was therefore room for the 
oranization; the field was extensive; the soil rich and deep; the fruit- 
age ought to be abundant." — /. B. Keeler (The Lesser Priesthood, 
etc., p. 162). 

The work of the Religion Class is conducted by an organiza- 
tion having general and stake boards, precisely as are all the 
other activities of the Church. 



VI 

TRUTH, JUSTICE AND MORMONISM 

"Why has Mormonism been so much misunderstood? Simply because the Evangel- 
ical churches saw in its success their own downfall, and they dared not let their own 
followers know what Mormonism really was, lest they should embrace it." — Charles 
Ellis. 



CHAPTER XXII 

ANTI-MORMON ACCUSATIONS 

Despite the beams in our own eyes, we have gallantly volun- 
teered to remove the motes from the eyes of Mormons, and of the 
public generally. In this spirit, the late Rev. T. De Witt Tal- 
mage once shrieked from the United States artillery to " thunder 
the seventh commandment into the people of Utah." However, 
he never asked for any other arm of the service to thunder bay- 
onet, sabre, or otherwise compel respect for the ninth command- 
ment in any other element of the American public. Thus, he 
and many others of his profession have merrily, glibly and con- 
temptuously borne unceasing false witness against the Mormon 
people; and it is high time that this fact should be brought to 
the attention of all. 

The following passages and extracts have been selected as fair 
examples of " Christian," " American " and " righteous " utter- 
ances " evoked by Mormon misdoings." If they are the sort of 
things acceptable to decent, truth-respecting and justice-loving 
people, they are here conveniently at hand for any such who 
may wish to memorize and declaim them. 

In 1882, the Rev. Dr. Talmage, as reported by several news- 
papers, gave vent to the following : 

"Mormonism will resist through the courts as long as possible, 
and then it will go into bloody encounter. I am more and more 
persuaded of the truth of what I said two years ago in this place, 
that polygamy will never be driven out of Utah except at the point 
of the bayonet. It is well to try peaceful legislation at first, but it 
is well enough to know that ^Mormonism is so thoroughly intrenched, 
so contemptuous of law, so infuriate against the United States Gov- 
ernment that nothing that Congress has yet done will move the 
abomination the thousandth part of an inch. If President Buchanan 
had allowed Col. A. S. Johnston to go ahead with his army in 1857, 
after he had arrived in Utah, polygamy would have been dead a 
quarter of a century ago; but the over-married Mormons cut off 
three of our supply trains, and captured 800 oxen, and forthwith the 
United States Government went into treaty, the Mormons promising 
to behave well if the United States Government would fall back and 
let them alone. Our government fell back, and up to this hour the 
organized libertinism of Utah is master of the situation." 

313 



3 H THE REAL MORMONISM 

Of course, no one acquainted with this gentleman's type of 
mind and habits of thinking would expect to find him a consistent 
exponent of the " scientific method," but it is somewhat surpris- 
ing to find how fully his zeal against the man of straw, which he 
has christened " Mormonism," blinds him to the real facts of 
history. Col. Johnston was not sent to Utah to extirpate polyg- 
amy, but to put down a rebellion falsely reported to exist there. 
President Buchanan, 2,800 miles away, and without telegraphic 
or railroad communications, did not forbid him to " go ahead with 
his army." Nor did the interference of individual bands of Mor- 
mon scouts and Indians with the army supply trains necessitate 
Johnston's failure to " smash the Mormons." If a preacher's 
" facts " are so distorted, what is to be said of the inferences he 
draws and the advice he gives? 

The Salt Lake Tribune of January 24, 1882 contains the fol- 
lowing : 

"New York, Jan. 23 — Rev. Sheldon Jackson, for twenty-three years 
a missionary in Utah, Alaska and other parts of the North-west, 
preached last night in the Central Presbyterian Church on Mormonism. 
He said: Twenty-five years ago Mormonism, like a little cloud, ap- 
peared on the horizon of Utah. It has increased until to-day it covers 
that whole Territory, and holds controlling power in Utah, Idaho, 
Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico, and almost in the state of 
Colorado. 

" Nearly one-third of the United States is occupied by 150,000 
Mormons, who, urged on by religious fanaticism, are determined soon 
to rebel and then fight to the death. We think that we make the 
laws which govern the territories, but the officials appointed to Utah 
by the President are mere figureheads. John Taylor is the governing 
power in Utah. . . . John Taylor says to Utah, to Arizona, or to Idaho : 
Send such a man as delegate to Congress, and the people dare not 
disobey him. In Colorado even he can dictate who shall not only be 
congressman, but also two senators from that State. Last summer 
when all Christendom was praying for the recovery of the beloved 
President (Garfield), all Mormondom was praying for his death, and 
Guiteau is now lauded to the skies by these people. Ever since the 
27th of September Mormon bishops have been flaunting their prayer 
test in the face of the Gentiles. They are now securing arms and 
powder and drilling militia in the back part of Utah and preparing 
for a rebellion which is inevitable. 

" The only means of avoiding this is to educate the children. This 
work can be done by Christian women teachers. There are to-day 
3,000 Mormon children in the day schools of Utah taught by mission- 
aries who are exerting untold influence, not only among children, but 
also among Mormon women, and 500 more teachers are needed. In 
ten or fifteen years these children will be voters and citizens of Utah, 
and the seed now sown will solve the Mormon question without the 
aid of arms or law." 

This is evidently a fragmentary newspaper report, and, likely 
enough, misquotes this speaker in several particulars — note, 
however, that people always complain of being " misquoted " 



ANTI-MORMON ACCUSATIONS 315 

when they read their silly sayings in print — but it is a typical 
anti-Mormon deliverance, and quite the kind of thing that has 
served to inflame the popular mind against Mormonism. It is 
probable, on any assumption, that this widely traveled gospeler 
repeated the groundless slander that all Mormons prayed for Gar- 
field's death and lauded Guiteau, the assassin, to the skies. The 
same accusation has been made by others, quite as " honorable 
men," but it is utterly and absolutely mendacious. It seems to 
have been first made in a religious newspaper of Boston, but, 
although widely challenged, was neither substantiated or retracted. 
(It had probably become a " matter of faith.") 

The present writer, with the intention of qualifying to speak 
honestly on Mormonism, carefully searched through the files of 
all leading Mormon and pro-Mormon newspapers and magazines, 
issued between the dates July 26. and Sept. 27, 1881, and failed 
to find one single remark, expressed or implied, that indicated 
the hope that Garfield would die; not one single remark derog- 
atory to the eminent sufferer; not one single remark in any way 
favorable to Guiteau, or offering excuse or extenuation for his 
crime. The Mormon people received no very tangible benefits 
from Garfield's hands, and some — perhaps many — individuals 
among them may have expressed opinions similar to that men- 
tioned above, as did many people, not Mormons, when McKinley 
was assassinated. But in neither case can all the people justly 
be blamed for the unwisdom of the few, who speak from preju- 
dice, political or sectional. 

Of course, although it was no missionary's business, it was 
scandalous that John Taylor alone, as alleged, should have con- 
trolled the votes and representatives of five states, when New 
York, Pennsylvania, and New England are divided among and 
with difficulty controlled by numerous corrupt political " rings " 
and " machines," but the honest historian would joyfully record, 
were it only possible, that all the venal and worthless creatures 
ever sent to Utah by the Federal Government had been mere 
" figureheads." Posterity would have gained a higher idea of 
our civilization and our people, even though back-biting mission- 
aries had missed the opportunity they have so industriously ex- 
ploited. 

I It is curious, however, when the Mormons are " determined 
soon to rebel and then [suicidally] fight to the death," and are 
" securing arms and powder and drilling militia in the back part 
of Utah," wherever that may be — it is not indicated on the map 
— that eastern backers of mission enterprises are urged to send 
five hundred women teachers to brave the terrors of this turbu- 
lent and immoral territory. The " arms and powder and drilling " 



3i6 THE REAL MORMONISM 

would seem to indicate a more or less immediate intention to 
" resort to violence." In this event, the education of the chil- 
dren, " the only means of avoiding this," must needs be hurried 
amazingly, if it is to avail. (A "hurry call" to prospective 
contributors!) 

Jackson's accusations are of a kind with those of numerous 
other missionaries in Utah. Thus, another Presbyterian mis- 
sionary in the late " 70s " is quoted as saying that his life was in 
constant danger in. Sanpete County, and that he was obliged to 
preach with a Bible in one hand and a pistol in the other. (Ex- 
cellent conditions for evoking spiritual and convincing dis- 
courses.) As a matter of fact, no more murderous assault had 
been attempted than verbal insults, probably accompanied by 
vague threats of violence by a gang of loiterers, and this gentle- 
man is quoted as having acknowledged as much — privately. A 
Methodist missionary in the northern part of the territory had a 
similarly narrow and " miraculous " escape from death in the 
performance of his " duty " of abusing the Mormons' religion 
in the hope of inducing enthusiasm for his own sect. (He had 
been sent to Utah from the Northern New York conference, 
where, as stated, his pulpit methods were not wholly acceptable, 
on account of the violence and " uncouthness " of his expres- 
sions.) Both these gentlemen related their " sad experiences " 
to appreciative eastern audiences, and thereby gained high esteem 
as veritable Damiens, self-exiled among the " moral lepers " of 
the Rocky Mountains. 

From the depths of sodden imbecility the abuse of Mormonism 
rushes to the shivering heights of barbarous truculence. What, 
pray, is the witchcraft in this system that so often transforms 
people, otherwise decent and righteous, into howling harpies or 
callous barbarians? The following passage, which the writer 
found quoted in a Utah newspaper of 1881, seemed so utterly 
impossible that he presents it only after verifying its presence 
in the files of the Presbyterian journal that first disgraced itself 
by printing it. In the Interior (Chicago) for April 28th, 1881, 
this occurs : 

"Dr. Crosby says that Mormonism ought to be dynamited, and in 
so saying, he shows that he is a good practical engineer. Mormonism 
is lechery, covering itself in a garb of religion and indulging in a 
mixed dialect of cant and cursing. Like Hell-gate at the entrance of 
New York harbor (!), it has its foundations deep and strong, taking 
hold of the bottom rocks of depravity, and like that reef, it will never 
yield to anything but force. Crime never does. > All the moral in- 
fluences of society are expected to restrain the indurated characters 
and consciences of criminals in vain. They proceed to violence, and 
by violence alone can they be repelled. There are 500 bigamists in the 
penitentiaries of the various states, and yet fresh concubines are in 



ANTI-MORMON ACCUSATIONS 317 

process of shipment by the carload through Chicago for the supply 
of these leering beasts, who not only defy law, but are waging an 
open and avowed warfare for the possession of the surrounding ter- 
ritories. The people in the vicinity of Nauvoo, Illinois, rose in their 
righteous wrath, and gave the criminals a short alternative between 
hemp and a hegira. There is not a savage tribe in America so low 
down in the scale of decency as the Mormons — nor would they all be, 
if in paint and on the warpath, so dangerous to the peace and safety 
of the country as are the white savages of the Mountain Meadow 
(massacre). Let the lands and tenements of the Mormons be thrown 
open to original entry by civilized settlers. The United States army 
is not large — and it has enough to do without defending these out- 
laws. Let it be understood that the army will keep out of the way 
in Utah for four years, and that the use and occupation of Mormon 
property for a year is to give a pre-emption title. There are enough 
young men in the west and south, who are seeking homes, to finish up 
the pest, to fumigate the territory, and to establish themselves there 
in ninety days after the word ' go ' is given. All the government 
needs to do is to let civilization have the same chance at the white 
savages that it has always given to settlers in dealing with the com- 
paratively innocent red men." 

It seems fairly evident that this trenchant editor of the In- 
terior had neglected to emulate Rev. John Cotton's example and 
" sweeten his mouth," if only " with a morsel of Calvin," before 
he penned his intemperate and brutal tirade. Not only is he 
contemptuously oblivious to the fact that the federal courts, 
after a thorough threshing-out of the matter, had absolved the 
Mormon leaders from complicity in the Mountain Meadows mas- 
sacre, and brought to justice the only men upon whom the crime 
could be fastened, but he openly and shamelessly advocates the 
commission of an enormity of even huger proportions. The 
Mormons, he tells us, are the worst savages in the land, and, as 
such, entitled to no rights which a " civilized man " should 
recognize. That seems to be the correct attitude toward sav- 
ages, and has been indorsed by the august examples of Cortez, 
Pizarro, and other "pioneers of Christian civilization." It is a 
shame that such " savages " as the Mormons should be allowed 
to possess " lands and tenements," even though these have been 
created by their own industry and enterprise. Let us then take 
an arrow from the full quivers of the Spanish conquerors of 
America: they have created the precedents. Deprive the Mor- 
mons of their property " without due process of law " — change 
the Constitution, if necessary — and turn it over to the chaste 
and exemplary "young men in the west and south, who are 
seeking homes," and would not hesitate to steal them. (Does 
the crime of robbery find extenuation, when " savages " are de- 
spoiled?) The Government was more considerate than this, 
even with the red Indians, but that is no superlative indorsement 
of its policy. The British, in perpetrating the Acadian atrocity, 



3i8 THE REAL MORMONISM 

merely transferred a population from one location to another one 
considered " more appropriate." But this Presbyterian editor 
wants all the Mormon people, even the " wronged women " and 
the jolly little children, driven from their homes into the alkali 
deserts to live or perish as predestined by " divine decrees." 
(And all this for the " glory of God " !) 

When we read such a screed we are better able to understand 
how was perpetrated by clerical instigation the brutal massacre 
of Haun's Mill, in Missouri, when women and little boys were 
shot to death by an anti-Mormon mob, and which is never 
remembered by those who verbigerate about the Mountain 
Meadow; also, to measure the worth of a religious profession 
that can in any way justify the cowardly assaults on the people 
of Nauvoo. 

The religious press, however, has not fought the " Mormon 
monster " single-handed. Even secular editors, who usually 
avoid issues of this kind, have now and then evinced anxiety to 
, be " in at the death." Very generally, also, these " lay " attacks 
are as ill-judged as they are vulgar. A particularly aggravated 
example appeared in the New York Herald for September 15, 
1855. The occasion is thus related by B. H. Roberts: 

"In August, 1854, Lieutenant- Colonel E. J. Steptoe arrived in Salt 
Lake, with a detachment of United States troops en route for Cali- 
fornia, but remained in Utah until the following spring. During their 
stay, it is said, that members of the command prostituted a number 
of squaws and also seduced a number of white women. The latter, 
having lost caste among their former associates, followed their be- 
trayers to California ! " 

This incident, sadly characteristic of army camp life, is really 
significant in no particular whatever. Had it occurred else- 
where than in Utah, it would have escaped editorial comment, 
except, perhaps, in local newspapers. It furnished a good 
chance for anti-Mormon invective, however, and consequently, 
some editorial writer of the Herald embalmed it, as follows: 
" This is momentous news, and very significant, withal. It shows 
that the Mormon women are ripe for rebellion, and that a detach- 
ment of the regular army is a greater terror to the patriarchs of the 
Mormon Jerusalem than Indians or drouth or grass-hoppers. It in- 
dicates the way, too, for the abolishment of the peculiar institution 
of Utah. The astonishing results of the expedition of Col. Steptoe, in 
this view, do most distinctly suggest the future policy of the govern- 
ment, touching this nest of Mormons. It is to send out to the Great 
Salt Lake a fresh detachment of young, good-looking soldiers, and at 
the end of two or three months order them off to California and re- 
place them by a new detachment at Salt Lake City, and so on until 
those Turks of the desert are reduced, by female desertions to the 
standard Christian regulation of one wife apiece. Unquestionably, if, 
with a taking detachment of the army in a new and showy uniform, 
the President were to send out to Utah at this crisis of impend- 



ANTI-MORMON ACCUSATIONS 319 

ing famine, a corps of regular disciplined women's rights women, 
to lay down the law to their sisters among the Mormons, they would 
soon compel the patriarchal authorities of Salt Lake to an exodus to 
some other region beyond the reach of our gallant army, and our 
heroic warriors in petticoats who know their rights, and, knowing, dare 
maintain them. . . . We recommend, therefore, to the President and 
secretary of the Interior, the policy of detailing another detachment 
of troops for Great Salt Lake City with the auxiliary force of half a 
dozen regular women's rights women whatever the cost; and thus, 
even should the grasshoppers fail to conquer the territory in the ex- 
pulsion of the Saints, the work may be done among the wives of the 
apostles." 

The flippant style of this editorial might almost suggest that 
it was a labored effort at humor. How the downfall of a few 
unfortunate women could possibly prove that " the Mormon 
women are ripe for rebellion " is past the comprehension of any- 
one not a " Mormon-eater " or a humorist. One might as justly 
suppose that the all-too-frequent re-enactment of this sort of 
tragedy in every city and village in Christendom was a proof 
that " Christian women are ripe for rebellion." Probably, how- 
ever, new and special canons of logic, as well as new standards 
of morals, must be adopted when dealing with such exceptional 
people as Mormons. The mention of " women's rights women," 
also, seems sadly out of place. This class of agitators have some 
serious failings, but the " humor " that makes them possible ac- 
cessories to a proposed systematic debauchery of their " unawak- 
ened sisters " is dismal. 

It is quite evident that, whether or not the writer of this filth 
was " only in fun," or whether he merely considered his style 
witty, there is here an undercurrent of earnestness that is a sad 
exhibition in any person having access to the columns of a great 
newspaper. 

Sadder, also, is the fact that the same or similar suggestions 
have been made in dead earnest by a host of other anti-Mormon 
writers. These people, forgetting the divine principle, " pro- 
vide things honest in the sight of all men. . . . Overcome evil 
with good," have deliberately advocated the introduction of im- 
moral characters and practices into the comparatively unworldly 
settlements of Utah, in order that virtues irregularly derived 
may be neutralized, and thus remove a galling spectacle from 
the sight of evangelical believers, who find the propagation of 
virtue a much more serious business. 

A choice example of this sort of thing appears in the Salt Lake 
Tribune of March 6, 1881. Under the caption, "What Utah 
Needs," some critic of Mormonism, who evidently considers his 
own a judicial type of mind, delivers himself thus: 

"Apropos of the new and petty war recently started by the municipal 



320 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

government on the women of the town, the liquor dealers and the 
gambling fraternity, one of the enemy said to us the other day : 

"'It may be a hard thing to say, and perhaps harder still to main- 
tain, but I believe that billiard halls, saloons, and houses of ill-fame 
are more powerful reforming agencies here in Utah than churches and 
schools, or even the Tribune. What the young Mormons want is to 
be free. So long as they are slaves, it matters not much to what or 
to whom they are, and they can be nothing. ... At all events, I re- 
joice when I see the young Mormon hoodlums playing billiards, getting 
drunk, running with bad women, anything to break the shackles they 
were born in, and that every so-called religious or virtuous influence 
only makes the stronger. Some of them will go quite to the bad, but it 
is better so, for they are made of poor stuff, and since there is no good 
reason why they were begun for, let them soon be done for, and the 
sooner the better. Most of them, however, will soon weary of vice 
and dissipation, and be all the stronger for the knowledge of it, and 
of its vanity. At the very least, they will be free, and it is of such 
vital consequence that a man should be free, that in my opinion his 
freedom is cheaply won at the cost of some familiarity with low life. 
And while it is not desirable in itself, it is to me tolerable, because it 
appears to offer the only inducement strong enough to entice men out 
of slavery into freedom/ 

" Probably our friend was wrong, but it reminded us, to compare 
great things with small, of the roaring, flaming hell through which the 
French nation broke its chains. Nothing short of that unparalleled 
upheaval, which involved all forms of human slavery in one smoking 
bloody ruin, would have effected anything. The national convention 
spared nothing in Heaven or in earth, not even itself; in the fury of 
madness it dethroned God, beheaded the king, conquered Europe, and 
decimated itself time and time again; but within its brief term of three 
years it recovered itself, and from that memorable date France, after 
a century of revolutions required to perfect the work then begun, is 
at last the freest and most prosperous nation in Europe." [And so on 
ad nauseam for the remainder of the column.] 

This editorial is noteworthy only because of its stupidity and 
its shameless advocacy of vice and immorality, which, so we are 
accustomed to assume, should be discouraged by all people lay- 
ing claims to decency. If the several vices prescribed for Mor- 
mon youth, in order to cure them of their grave attack of slavery, 
are to be so effective in their cases, why not recommend that they 
be included in the " education " of all young men ? It might 
help to develop the true American spirit of independence. Why 
the editor of the Tribune quoted this trash from " one of the 
enemy," if he did not entirely endorse it is not clear. It seems 
amazingly like the typical disowned child of one's own brain, 
which one modestly, although rather stupidly, fathers off upon 
some anonymous, and likely fictitious, " friend," probably be- 
cause he is ashamed to acknowledge it himself. It shows merely 
to what desperate extremes the opponents of Mormonism had 
come. 

The Tribune was the recognized organ of the anti-Mormon 



ANTI-MORMON ACCUSATIONS 321 

party in Utah. It was read and quoted by all anti-Mormon 
missionaries. It printed full and appreciative reports of the con- 
claves and sermons of members of their several sects. It no- 
ticed Mormon meetings only in abusive and burlesque articles, 
including, for example, the preposterous remarks of " Elder 
Adam T. Ramp," and other silly satires. No protest from its 
clerical allies against any of its utterances ever reached the eyes 
or ears of the public. Some of them actually endorsed its 
shameless opinions, presumably holding that, in the case of the 
Mormons, at least, " the end justifies the means," and 

" That though men serve the devil and lust, 
They will with one accord, 
When tired and done with such sweet fun, 
Run panting to the Lord,"* 

and attend some evangelical conventicle. 

Although in some moods the Tribune recognized that its 
" sacred cause " was so desperate that the Mormon youth must 
be seduced from their innocence by an introduction to " real 
life," other methods of attack were used occasionally. Thus, in 
an editorial printed in the issue of February 25, 1881, just nine 
days before the one just quoted, the following occurs: 

"One favorite defense of polygamy on the part of our church con- 
temporaries is to charge almost universal licentiousness on the part of 
those not in polygamy, as if one wrong justified another.^ . . . Super- 
stition is invoked to weave its benumbing influence around a jvoman 
before she can be made to accept polygamy; that is, if she is a real 
woman. . . . The result upon the progeny of such women is thor- 
oughly understood by scientists. It is in the children of these unnat- 
ural unions that nature works her revenges, and it is so apparent al- 
ready in this city that a reformatory institution is called for. Mor- 
mons complain of the agitation of this subject by gentiles. We tell 
them in all sincerity, that could they have kept gentiles and gentile in- 
fluences altogether away from Utah until this day, that pride, shame, 
respect for law, respect for women and for virtue would have been 
dead here now. . . . The system means the death of the soul, and when 
men seek to justify it on the ground that, in the other walks of life, men 
sometimes make brutes of themselves and women lose their womanhood, 
it only shows that the system has made such men dead to either a sense 
of justice or sense of shame." 

People unfamiliar with life and conditions in Utah at this 
period would obtain a somewhat vague idea from reading news- 
paper editorials. In one week a reformatory is needed for Mor- 
mon juvenile delinquents; in the next, vices of several varieties 
are recommended to neutralize virtues rooted in slavery. In 
February, the editor thinks that, but for " gentile influence," the 
moral condition of the territory would have been hopeless; in 
March, "gentile" vices are declared to be the great desiderata 

* " Poem on Universalism," by John Peck. 
t Italics ours. 



322 THE REAL MORMONISM 

of its social and religious life. And this is the way in which 
" we tell them in all sincerity, that could they have kept gentiles 
and gentile influences altogether away from Utah, that pride, 
shame, respect for the opinions of men, respect for women and 
for virtue would have been dead ! " 

In criticizing the utterances of the Tribune, however, we 
must not forget that many of the " Gentiles " in Utah at that 
time were good and earnest men, honestly bent on achieving 
lasting benefits for the Mormon people, to the best of their lights. 
In their efforts to convert the Mormons from their " errors," 
however, they met with nearly insuperable discouragements. 
The reason for this is best explained in the words of one of their 
number writing in 1882: 

" The Mormons shrink from a civilization that introduces the brothel 
with its advance guard, fills our papers with unmentionable advertise- 
ments, and makes of every city a sink of iniquity; a civilization that 
converts women to prostitution faster than it does to Christian life, 
fills our ears with clerical scandals and our criminal courts with ' Chris- 
tian ' defaulters; that elevates Restellism into a social institution, and 
leads to a prevalence of foeticide and infanticide which, if its extent 
were known, might well fill us with horror and dismay." — Utah and 
its People. By a Gentile. 

Probably such considerations as the foregoing were powerful 
in confirming the Mormons in preferring polygamy, even if only 
as the " lesser of two evils." They may have wished to " let 
bad enough alone." 

But, while the Protestant clergy, and their recognized organs, 
were ceaselessly agitating what, in their minds, appeared prob- 
ably the " cause of true religion and sound morals " — and such 
has ever been the slogan of persecutors — there is very respect- 
able evidence for the contention that they were in reality being 
kept in a condition of chronic inflammation by persons having 
other, and very different, objects to achieve by the enactment of 
coercive and sumptuary legislation for Utah. That such per- 
sons were no others than those familiar American pests, the 
corrupt politician, the hungry " carpet-bagger," and the sufferer 
from insatiate greed, is suggested in the following passage : 

" The end and object of this whole system of hostile measures against 
Utah seems to be the destruction of popular rule in that territory. I 
may be wrong — for I can only reason from the fact that is known to the 
fact that is not known — but I do not think that the promoters of this 
legislation care a straw how much or how little the Mormons are 
married. It is not their wives, but their property ; not beauty, but booty, 
they are after. I have not much faith in political piety, but I do most 
devoutly believe in the hunger of political adventurers for spoils of every 
kind. How else can you account for the struggles they are now making 
to get possession of all the local offices in the territory, including the 
treasurer, auditor* and all depositories of public money? If they do 



ANTI^MORMON ACCUSATIONS 323 

not want to rob the people, why do they reach out their hands for such 
a grab as this?" — Judge Jeremiah S. Black. Federal Jurisdiction in 
the Territories, p. 24. 

Whether Judge Black's suspicions were correct or not, the 
fact remains that " polygamy " was not the real and fundamental 
objection against Mormonism, nor the real occasion against the 
Mormons. It was merely a convenient word to be used much 
after the fashion in which the howling dervishes shout the 
Arabic name for God, "Allah! Allah! Allah!" until they 
actually induce a phrensy, which they seem to consider a very 
effective condition for glorifying God. Because the real occa- 
sion against the Mormons was precisely Mormonism itself, every 
convenient method of attack that promised any advantage against 
these people was worked to its full extent. The Salt Lake 
Tribune, as the leading anti-Mormon organ, ran the full chro- 
matic gamut. Thus, under date Oct. 8, 1880, we find the fol- 
lowing with caption, "The Real Object": 

" Polygamy is not the worst curse of the Mormon church. The leaders 
cling to polygamy because it is a bait to catch and hold the gudgeons 
of their faith. As there was never a poor white in the South in the 
old days who did not dream of sometime being able to own at least one 
negro, so it is the dream of the poorest and most abject Mormon to 
sometime have a 'happy family' of two or three wives of his own. 
But the dream of the leaders is much more extensive in its range. As 
George Q. Cannon is now able to direct from his office in this city how 
every Mormon in Utah shall vote, so his dream is that before he dies 
he will have the casting of the decisive vote in not only Utah, but Idaho, 
Montana, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. His idea is by a balance 
of power to absolutely carry all this region — an empire in extent — 
beyond the control of the United States, and to bring it under the 
control of the Mormon church." 

This is the " armed insurrection " scare again, an effort to 
fan the dying flames of prejudice. If Mr. Cannon, or any other 
leader in the Mormon church, really nurtured any such ambi- 
tion, and the fact could be proved, it would seem a waste of 
space to abuse polygamy so often and at such length, while intro- 
ducing this accusation of " disloyalty " only as a " filler," while 
waiting, apparently, for some new happy thought of sensational 
and slanderous character. The methods of this newspaper are 
the very best evidence of the utter futility of its charges. 

Another healthy example of anti-Mormon utterances is the 
speech of Judge Jacob S. Boreman before a meeting of the 
Ladies Anti-polygamy Society in a Salt Lake Methodist chapel 
on the evening of Feb. 27, 1882. 

Judge Boreman was one of the numerous " noted jurists " ap- 
pointed by the Federal Government to " help the Mormons solve 
their problems." He is described as " a kindly and high-minded 



324 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Christian gentleman, and a member of the Methodist church." 
His deliverance before this virtuous conclave is reported in part 
in the Salt Lake Tribune of February 28th, as follows : 

" Now when you compare Kansas with this territory [Utah], you can 
see what Americans can do for a place, and you can see what inspira- 
tion can do for it. Had Utah been settled by Americans these barren 
mountains would be now pouring forth their treasures of gold and 
silver. But now what a beggarly picture this — a lot of knaves and 
trembling widows and orphans, and the priests fattening at their ex- 
pense. They have run the territory into the ground for forty years, 
and now, I think, it is time that they turned it over to Americans for 
a while, and let us see what we can do with it. We will knock the 
shackles from the wrists of the people of Utah and make something out 
of them. 

"When Garfield was here the Mormons gave out that they had 
swallowed him. Now let's see how they did it. Walking down Main 
Street one day, he told me that while traveling in Utah men slipped up 
and whispered in his ear, ' For the Lord's sake help us. We are bound 
to the priests and want them broken up. We are afraid to say this 
openly. Don't believe a word the lying priests say.' 

" Now they did not swallow Garfield, and I don't think they are getting 
Arthur down very fast. They won't want another Guiteau to crow 
over very soon. The twelve apostles and John Taylor are now running 
this country, and not the Mormons. It is the leaders who are getting 
all the good. When these white-headed old rascals get revelations the 
people have to bow. What blasphemy to say that these men are in 
league with God! We don't want a lot of sheep to be driven about 
as the leader dictates. We want a few men of common sense and 
honesty to run the country. We can't run it any longer on the European 
plan. 

"When the [polygamy investigation] commission comes polygamy 
will be a thing of the past, and a few men will be playing checkers 
behind the bars of the penitentiary. The leaders will be disappointed, 
but the masses will find that the Commission, with 50,000,000 pairs of 
eyes looking at them, will be the best friends they ever had. 

" Such a commission will do nothing blind or rash. They will 
thoroughly understand their position, and be careful to do the square 
thing all around. Then the children of the present generation will rise 
up and call it blessed." 

Mr. Justice Boreman probably read this report in the Tribune, 
but, if he was misquoted in any particular, he never published 
any complaint. We may assume, therefore, that he fully con- 
sented to father the statements attributed to him. It is a sad 
exhibition of the way in which sectarian prejudice and the con- 
ceit of righteousness will aggravate the habitual depravity of our 
most " unruly member." The judge was evidently not " greater 
than he that taketh a city." As a man sufficiently informed and 
experienced to hold the office of a federal judge, even Utah ter- 
ritory, he was undoubtedly fully aware of the meaning and prob- 
able influence of all his utterances. And they do not rate him 
very high. 

According to this jurist, the Mormons are not "Americans." 



ANTI-MORMON ACCUSATIONS 325 

Although very many of their early leaders were of the " best 
blood of colonial New England," and the majority of them owned 
legitimate descent from revolutionary soldiers, things which usu- 
ally constitute very good evidences of right to the title " Ameri- 
can/' the Mormons were something else. Evidently a profession 
of Mormonism acts as an " estoppel " to all claims in this direc- 
tion. Had the Mormons been Americans, he is quoted as say- 
ing, " these barren mountains would be now pouring forth their 
treasures of gold and silver." The highest reach of true Ameri- 
can effort, therefore, is " gold-digging." However, the Mor- 
mons, more interested in prophets than in profits, sought to 
found a secure community in the territory before opening the 
mines. In any other people similarly situated, we would have 
heard of the great wisdom of this course. But Brigham Young, 
who stated, in defense of his policy, that the " people can not eat 
gold and silver," could have spoken only from some " ulterior 
motive." 

Judge Boreman has allowed his Methodist proclivities to lead 
him blindly into assisting the efforts of other Utah " gentiles," 
not peculiarly Methodist, whose zeal to deal with the Mormons, 
as the Israelites of old are said to have dealt with the Philistines, 
was largely spurred by the visions of a land " out of whose hills 
thou mayest dig brass." All this furnishes a very clear ex- 
planation of the kind of men who " slipped up " to President 
Garfield in various parts of Utah, and whispered pleas against 
" priestly domination." Garfield and Boreman seemed to have 
thought these whisperings a genuine " doleful sound " from " the 
tombs." They were almost as credulous as the editorial writer 
of the New York Herald, who gaily announced that " the Mor- 
mon women are ripe for rebellion." It is curious that, when both 
Mormon men and Mormon women are " ripe for rebellion " 
against the " priesthood," and all Mormons on the verge of pre- 
cipitating an armed revolt against the Government, that the 
peace has always been kept fairly well in Utah. Is it evidence 
of some sinister influence of even graver import? 

Quite in line with the other falsehoods circulated about the 
Mormons, is the amusing habit of the religious and sensational 
press of " discovering " that nearly every notorious criminal of 
national repute is an adherent of this faith. Guiteau, Garfield's 
assassin, was accused of Mormonism, or rather his alleged mem- 
bership in the Mormon church was adduced as " explanation " of 
his crime. He, however, denied this " soft impeachment," and 
protested that he preferred to be called what he was, no very 
great loss to Mormonism, and no very great gain to his own 
repute. Even more recently, a certain preacher, who had con- 



326 THE REAL MORMONISM 

fessed to the crime of murdering a young woman, under pecul- 
iarly atrocious circumstances, was similarly credited with being 
a " Mormon elder." His accuser explained that, " while it is 
not common, it is not unusual to find the more educated of the 
Mormon elders preaching in the pulpits of evangelical churches 
which baptize by immersion." The sole excuse for this absurd 
lie was that this person was reputed to have been in the course 
of his career, more or less closely associated with several young 
women. This fact to the clerical mind is proof positive that he 
was a " polygamist," hence, inevitably, a Mormon. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE MORMON AUTHORITIES 

It seems fairly probable that Mormonism, either as a Church 
with an official head, or as a collection of individuals each having 
a vote, has a very definite political significance. It is proper to 
inquire, however, (a) whether this political significance is hostile 
to law, order, and well-being, and (b) whether it is distinctly un- 
American. The alleged fact that Mormons usually vote in a 
body — and it seems probable that they have so voted on several 
occasions — involves neither of these alternatives. Again, with- 
out seriously considering the futile slander that the real object 
of the Mormon authorities is to precipitate some sort of cause- 
less, useless, and suicidal revolt against the government, such 
participation in politics as may justly be credited to them is ex- 
plainable on two grounds: 

1. Mormonism is essentially a social and colonizing system, 
involving normally a very real order of solidarity among its 
people, which is distinctly beneficial in many ways, as already 
explained. Thus, it is inevitable that their sense of common 
interest to a degree has political expression. 

2. Considering the constant political agitation against these 
people, fostered by those who profess to decry any conjunction 
of church and state, it is scarcely remarkable that the leaders 
of their Church should occasionally appear as their leaders in 
politics. 

No amazing turpitude appears to be involved in either of these 
conditions. As any candid mind will understand after reading 
all of the present volume, the much dreaded domination of the 
Mormon Church in any section of our country, if attended with 
the results moral and social, already found in the Mormon por- 
tions of Utah, would be, on the whole, a decided improvement 
over present conditions. On the other hand, if our chronic 
agitators wish to expel Mormonism from politics, why do they 
insist on making it a perpetual political issue? Reforming 
paranoids incapable of comprehending the wise methods of deal- 
ing with the liquor traffic, so effective in European countries, 

327 



\ 



M 



328 THE REAL MORMONISM 

have forced the rum shop into politics, thus unspeakably corrupt- 
ing the government of several of our large cities. If Mormon- 
ism has in any sense infiltrated an undesirable influence into 
local or national politics, its activities have been efficiently aug- 
mented in similar fashion by this same preposterous busybody 
element, which has trailed a contagion of corruption, violence 
and crime over the whole of the political history of our country. 
These people should be silenced first; then we can deal ration- 
ally and effectively with all other classes — including Mormons. 
The political opposition to Mormonism first attained propor- 
tions in Illinois, at the period when the city of Nauvoo was under 
their domination. This episode is fully set forth by Governor 
Thomas Ford, himself an active participant in much of the his- 
tory of the period. Says Governor Ford : 

"The great cause of popular fury was that the Mormons at several 
preceding elections, had cast their vote as a unit; thereby making the 
fact apparent that no one could aspire to the honors or offices of the 
country within the sphere of their influence, without their approbation 
and votes. It appears to be one of the principles by which they insist 
on being 1 governed as a community, to act as a unit in matters of gov- 
ernment and religion. They express themselves to be fearful that if 
division should be encouraged in politics, it would soon extend to their 
religion, and rend their church with schism and into sects." — History 
of Illinois, p. 329. 

Governor Ford also relates how that the rivalry of the two 
parties, Whigs and Democrats, had effected the unanimous pass- 
age in the Legislature of the Nauvoo charter, so strongly objec- 
tionable to many of the people of Illinois, the rivalry of these 
contending parties being then obscured in the keen competition 
for the Mormon vote. 

"In a very short time after the two parties had their candidates in 
the field, Joe Smith published a proclamation to his followers in the 
Nauvoo papers, declaring Judge Douglass to be a master spirit, and 
exhorting them to vote for Mr. Snyder for governor. The Whigs had 
considerable hope of the Mormon support until the appearance of this 
iproclamation. The Mormons had voted for the Whig candidate for 
Congress in August, 1841. But this proclamation left no doubt as to 
what they would do in the coming contest. It was plain that the Whigs 
could expect their support no longer, and that the Whig party in the 
Legislature had swallowed the odious charter without prospect of re- 
ward. . . . 

"A vast number of reports were circulated all over the country to 
the prejudice of the Mormons. They were charged with numerous 
thefts and robberies, and rogueries of all sorts; and it was believed 
by vast numbers of the people, that they entertained the treasonable 
design, when they got strong enough, of overturning the government, 
driving out the old population, and taking possession of the country, 
as The Children of Israel did in the Land of Canaan. 

"The Whigs seeing that they were out-generalled by the Democrats 
in securing the Mormon vote, became seriously alarmed, and sought 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 329 

to repair their disaster by raising a kind of crusade against that people. 
The Whig newspapers teemed with accounts of the wonders and 
enormities of Nauvoo, and of the awful wickedness of a party which 
would consent to receive the support of such miscreants. Governor 
Duncan, who was really a brave, honest man, — took the stump on this 
subject in good earnest, and expected to be elected governor almost on 
this question alone." Ibid, pp. 268-269. 

On a subsequent occasion, the Whig party believed that its 
candidate would receive Mormon support, and consequently 
adopted a policy of conciliation. However, Ford relates that 
Hyrum Smith, brother of the Prophet Joseph, issued a manifesto, 
declaring it to be the will of God that Hoge, the Democratic can- 
didate, should be elected. On this theory he accounts for the 
fact that Hoge received 3,000 votes in Nauvoo. 

" The result of the election struck the Whigs with perfect amaze- 
ment. Whilst they fancied themselves secure of getting the Mormon 
vote for Mr. Walker, the Whig newspapers had entirely ceased their 
accustomed abuse of the Mormons. They now renewed their crusade 
against them, every paper was loaded with accounts of the wickedness, 
corruptions, and enormities of Nauvoo. The Whig orators groaned 
with complaints and denunciations of the Democrats, who would con- 
sent to receive Mormon support, and the Democratic officers of the 
State were violently charged and assaulted with using the influence of 
their offices to govern for the Mormons. 

"From this time forth, the Whigs generally, and a part of the 
Democrats, determined upon driving the Mormons out of the State; 
and everything connected with the Mormons became political, and was 
considered almost entirely with reference to party." — Ibid. p. 319. 

Governor Ford, it must be remembered, was no very strong 
friend of the Mormons. He plays, in fact, very much the part 
of Herod in their history. His statement of conditions, how- 
ever, seems straightforward and unprejudiced, serving very well 
to show which lines of political behavior are properly to be 
classed as " American " and regular, and which, otherwise. He 
gives us good reasons, also, for asserting that the familiar ac- 
cusation of political chicanery urged against the Mormons fur- 
nishes a close analogy to the fable of the sooty utensils which 
" called one another black." Nevertheless, the story is still told 
and re-told — it must be true, the assumption seems to be, be- 
cause it is about Mormons, — and that newest and most unde- 
sirable type of sensational writer, the so-called " muck-raker," 
periodically serves it up in the popular magazines. This irre- 
sponsible fomenter of disorder and false opinion tells the same 
old lies with only slight variations in the way of embellishment, 
and displays the same contemptuous ignorance of the Mormon 
organization and its workings that has become a mere common- 
place among us. Thus, as a good example at hand, a certain 
Barry, in Pearson's Magazine for September, 19 10, discusses 
" The Political Menace of the Mormon Church " which, although 



330 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

presented as the very latest word on the subject consists prin- 
cipally of a tract issued by a certain Rev. Josiah Strong about 
1898, interspersed with other matters evidently quite as ancient. 
This dreadful " political menace " consists, however, in the 
alleged concordat between the Mormon Church and the leaders 
of the Republican Party, according to which the former agrees 
to deliver the votes of the Mormon states, as required, in ex- 
change for protection. And, wherein does the Church seek 
protection ? According to this unearther of wickedness, the sick- 
ening details are as follows : 

"The Church agreed to deliver to Roosevelt the electoral votes of 
Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, in exchange for three things; (1) a cessa- 
tion of the movement and agitation within the Republican party for 
an amendment to the Federal Constitution giving Congress the power 
to legislate concerning polygamy and polygamous living; (2) a defense 
of Reed Smoot, apostle and representative of the Mormon hierarchy, 
as a senator of the United States, and a vote for his retention of his 
seat in the Senate; and (3) a disposition of federal patronage in Utah 
and the surrounding states in obedience to the wish of the Mormon 
hierarchy expressed to the federal administration through Apostle Reed 
Smoot." 

This alleged agreement involves merely (a) the quashing of 
a hypocritical agitation, aimed not so much at polygamy as at 
the Mormon Church itself, (b) the reaffirmation of the right of 
a sovereign state to select and maintain its own representative in 
the national senate, and (c) the distribution of federal patronage 
to suit the desires of the dominant element in the population of 
several states. Mr. Barry, who evidently wishes the reader to 
believe that he has investigated the subject thoroughly, admits, 
however, the source of most of his " authority." Says he : 

" Concerning political deals I present information given me by men 
high in the counsels of the Republican party, Mormons of high standing 
and leading Gentiles of the Mormon section — men in whose integrity 
I believe; yet when you read these statements so fraught with meaning 
to him who loves a republican government, bear in mind that it is 
simply that which is called rumor, the stories of many men set to- 
gether, but bear in mind also that it is the sort of rumor which emanates 
from men who do not play with truth, whose reputation would refute 
a charge of idle gossip.'' 

It is sufficient, however, to reflect that these "men who do 
not play with truth," all modestly concealing their identities, do 
not appear to support the accuracy of any of their alleged state- 
ments, consequently, we need not consider these statements 
worthy to establish any contention whatsoever. Such hearsay 
allegations are not competent evidence in general affairs, any 
more than in a court of law. 

Mr. Roosevelt, commenting on this alleged and rumored tri- 
partite agreement, writes to a correspondent as follows : 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 331 

" It is a little difficult to know how to deal with a story like this, which 
is not merely an outrageous lie, but one so infamous, so absolutely with- 
out the smallest particle of foundation, that it is utterly impossible that 
the men making the charge should be ignorant of the fact that they 
are lying. I never heard of this magazine article and do not know who 
wrote it. But whoever did knew perfectly well that he was lying — 
The accusation is not merely false, but so ludicrous that it is difficult 
to discuss it seriously. Of course it is always possible to find creatures 
vile enough to make accusations of this kind. The important thing to 
remember is that the men who give currency to the charge, whether 
editors of magazines or the presidents of colleges, show themselves in 
their turn unfit for association with decent men when they secure the 
repetition and encouragement of such scandals, scandals which they 
perfectly well know to be false. 

" Not only was no such bargain made by me, but equally, of course, 
no such bargain was made by President Taft or by any one who could 
speak for any portion of the Republican national organization. No 
such bargain was ever in any way, directly or indirectly, suggested to 
or considered by me. It is not merely an atrocious falsehood, but it 
could by no possibility be anything but a falsehood. Neither the Church 
nor any one on behalf of the Church ever agreed to deliver me the 
votes of the States mentioned, nor to try to do so ; nor was any allusion 
to the matter ever made to me. Neither Senator Smoot nor any other 
citizen of Utah, was, as far as I know, ever so much as consulted about 
the patronage in the States surrounding Utah, nor did the Mormon 
Hierarchy, through Senator Smoot or any one else, ever express a 
single wish in connection with that patronage. The appointments were 
made in Wyoming and Idaho precisely on the same system as they were 
made in New Jersey and Massachusetts, and no more attention was 
paid to any candidate's religious qualifications in one set of states than 
in another. Moreover, the same policy precisely was followed in Utah." 
— Collier's, April 15, 191 1. 

Because, according to our "muck-raking" friend, the Mor- 
mons assert the belief that their President has as his " chief 
duty — to communicate the wishes of Deity to the children of 
men," all of them must vote precisely as directed. In fact, as 
he asserts, " Tammany Hall, an organization founded on men's 
selfish interests, is less a unit, and less uniformly successful in 
politics than the Mormon Church, which is founded on man's 
religious credulity." Such an argument as this, it is confidently 
assumed, should inspire any man " who loves a republican gov- 
ernment " to assist in " smashing " Mormonism. " When such 
politico-ecclesiastical power is grasped by one man, as in the 
head of the Mormon Church, he becomes the most gigantic boss 
in America." 

The comparison between the Mormon Church and Tammany 
Hall, although intended to be derogatory, is a very happy one, 
since, without pausing to inquire into the motives and characters 
of the leaders of either of the two organizations, it is evident 
that both owe the allegiance of the rank and file of their followers 
to the same fact, the systematic provision for their temporal 



332 THE REAL MORMONISM 

needs and the ready sympathy of their officers in their troubles. 
The poor voter of New York City sees in the ward leader his 
friend and ready benefactor : every Mormon knows that, through 
his bishop, he may receive any needed benefits from the treasury 
of the Church. In both cases, whatever may be the ultimate 
motive, we have a very practical humanity. Consequently, the 
fact that dependent people give their allegiance and their votes to 
such organizations is in no sense remarkable. 

What then is this dreadful " political menace of the Mormon 
Church ? " Here is the climax : 

The Mormons now have as large a proportion of the population of 
Arizona as they have of Idaho, about 30 per cent. This is enough to 
constitute a balance of power. When you have 30 per cent, of any vote, 
which you can use absolutely as a unit, in any way you wish, things 
are bound to move your way. So, when Arizona was admitted to the 
Union, another Mormon State was added to the three already in. " In 
New Mexico, between 15 per cent, and 20 per cent, of the vote will 
be Mormon, and the Church will doubtless see to it that the state is 
colonized sufficiently to swing New Mexico as they wish, now that state- 
hood is acquired. This makes five states, ten senatorial votes, fifteen 
electoral votes — almost a balance of power in this Republic. As fast 
as they see a chance in other states the Mormons will proceed to annex 
them. They have small percentages of the vote in Nevada, Colorado, 
Montana, Oregon and Washington. When they want one of these states 
they will get it. Because of the obedience of its members the power 
of the Mormon Church is entirely disproportionate to its numbers. 

"An order is issued by the authorities that a certain district shall 
furnish so many hundred colonizers for a given state or territory. The 
families are drafted, so many from a ward. Then each ward or dis- 
trict equips its own quota with wagons, animals, provisions, implements, 
etc. (Very villainous proceedings, indeed.) 

" Communities are then selected where the two great political parties 
are of nearly equal strength, and just enough Mormon families are 
planted there to hold the balance of power. Thus the Mormon leaders 
can mass their voters here and there with almost the same ease, and 
quite the same certainty of discipline, as that with which a general moves 
his troops." 

These statements are marshalled quite in the same fashion 
as " a general moves his troops," with the deliberate intention 
of arguing to the " dangerous " and " un-American " activities 
of the Mormon authorities. But what do they amount to? If 
our republican principles and our republican government signify 
anything, precisely nothing. And this is true for two reasons: 

(a) Political activities in America at the present day are, 
with characteristic uniformity, controlled by " organizations," 
" machines," " bosses," and parties. Why such an organization, 
controlled by " priests " or other leaders recognized in the chosen 
religion of a large percentage of voters in a given section, is 
materially worse than one maintained, as is too often the case, 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 333 

for the protection of law-breaking schemers of several varieties, 
" blackleg " politicians, gamblers, liquor sellers, and other cor- 
rupt characters, or for general self-interest, it is very difficult to 
see. Certainly one organization is quite as tolerable as the other, 
and no more of a menace to the country at large. Furthermore, 
it is difficult to see how that the one debases the free exercise of 
voting privileges in the rank and file of citizens any more than 
the other. 

(b) Even if the extensive colonizing activities of the Mormon 
Church, which certainly involve great benefits for the people con- 
cerned, are primarily merely of political significance and all such 
colonizing is illegal, that excellent person, already referred to, 
" who loves a republican government," and feels obligated to 
oppose all things hostile thereto, will find himself extremely busy 
long before he reaches any of the doings of the Mormons. Such 
a person needs only to read a little in our country's history to 
know how very American this procedure is. What more frantic 
and determined efforts could the Mormons make to colonize and 
control any state whatsoever, than were made by both the pro- 
slavery and anti-slavery parties in their efforts to populate and 
gain control of the territory of Kansas? Representatives of 
both these elements would be anxious to justify this procedure 
in this case. 

"The fertile soil of Kansas had been offered as a prize to be con- 
tended for by Free and Slave States, and both had accepted the contest. 
The slave-holders of Western Missouri, which shut off Kansas from 
the Free States, had crossed the border, pre-empted lands, and warned 
Free States imigrants not to pass through Missouri. The first election 
of a delegate took place November 29th, 1854, and was carried by- 
organized bands of Missourians, who moved over the border on election 
day, voted, and returned at once to Missouri. The spring election of 
1855, f° r a . Territorial Legislature, was carried in the same fashion. 
In July, 1855, the Legislature, all Pro-Slavery, met at Pawnee, and 
adopted a State Constitution. To save trouble it adopted the laws of 
the State of Missouri entire, with a series of original statutes denouncing 
the penalty of death for nearly fifty offenses against slavery. 

rt All through the spring and summer of 1855 Kansas was the scene of 
almost continuous conflict, the Border Ruffians of Missouri endeavoring 
to drive out the Free State settlers by murder and arson and the Free 
Settlers retaliating. The cry of ' bleeding Kansas ' went through the 
North. Emigration societies were formed in the Free States to aid, 
arm, equip and protect intending settlers. These, prevented from passing 
through Missouri, took a more northern route through Iowa and 
Nebraska, and moved into Kansas like an invading army. The Southern 
States also sent parties of intending settlers. But these were not gen- 
erally slave-holders, but young men anxious for excitement. They did 
not go to Kansas, as their opponents did, to plow, sow, gather crops, and 
build up homes. Therefore, though their first rapid and violent move- 
ments were successful, their subsequent increase of resources and 



334 



THE REAL MORMONISM 



numbers was not equal to that of the Free State settlers. The territory- 
soon became practically divided into a Pro-Slavery and Free State 
district." — A. Johnston, " History of American Politics." 

We can readily imagine at this time the rage felt and ex- 
pressed by adherents of either party at hearing of the advances 
made by their opponents in Kansas. When it comes to consid- 
ering the accusations against the Mormons, therefore, we are 
expected to feel a similar displeasure over the alleged advantages 
gained by a political clique other than the one to which we may 
happen to be attached. The free exercise of citizenship is to be 
accorded only to those with whom we may agree politically. All 
others should be carefully controlled, since they cannot possibly 
be " loyal " to the Government. 

Furthermore, the alleged activities of the Mormons, accord- 
ing to the ridiculous article quoted above, are no more and no 
less than fresh examples quite along the line of the time- 
honored procedure known as " gerrymandering." Whether this 
thing is right or wrong, it is altogether too old and too general a 
habit to constitute a valid condemnation of any party of our 
voting population now practicing it. It is thus explained by 
John Fiske: 

" In the composition of the House of Representatives the state legisla- 
ture plays a very important part. For the purpose of the election a 
state is divided into districts corresponding to the number of representa- 
tives the state is entitled to send to Congress. These electoral dis- 
tricts are marked out by the legislature, and the division is apt to be 
made by the preponderating party with an unfairness that is at once 
shameful and ridiculous. The aim, of course, is so to lay out the dis- 
tricts as to secure in the greatest possible number of them a majority for 
the party which conducts the operation. This is done sometimes by 
throwing the greatest possible number of hostile voters into a district 
which is anyhow certain to be hostile, sometimes by adding to a district 
where parties are equally divided some place in which the majority of 
friendly voters is sufficient to turn the scale. There is a district in Miss- 
issippi (the so called Shoe String District) 250 miles long by 30 broad, 
and another in Pennsylvania resembling a dumb-bell. . . 

" In Missouri a district has been contrived longer, if measured along 
its windings, than the state itself, into which as large a number as pos- 
sible of the negro voters have been thrown. The trick is called gerry- 
mandering, from Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts, who was vice- 
president of the United States from 1813 to 1817. It seems to have been 
first devised in 1788 by the enemies of the Federal Constitution to the 
first Congress, and fortunately it was unsuccessful. It was introduced 
some years later into Massachusetts." — Civil Government in the United 
States, pp. 216-218 

It must be clear, therefore, that, assuming the Barry-Strong 
charges as in any sense true, the Mormon organization would be 
doing no more and no less than other organizations and parties 
have been constantly doing in the history of the United States. 
It is quite probable, however, that most of the colonizing activi- 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 335 

ties of the Church which Mr. Barry, Prof. Strong, and others, 
see fit to feature in the manner as quoted above, are carried on 
from motives quite other than political. This matter has been 
fully discussed in Chapter X. 

In the " Address to the World," issued by the Mormon 
Church authorities in 1907, the following declarations occur: 

" We declare that from principle and policy, we favor : 

"The absolute separation of church and state; 

" No domination of the state by the Church ; 

" No church interference with the functions of the state ; 

"No state interference with the functions of the church, or with the 
free exercise of religion; 

"The absolute freedom of the individual from the domination of 
ecclesiastical authority in political affairs; 

" The equality of all churches before the law. 

"The reaffirmation of this doctrine and policy, however, is predicated 
upon the express understanding that politics in the states where our 
people reside, shall be conducted as in other parts of the Union; that 
there shall be no interference by the State with the Church, nor with 
the free exercise of religion. Should political parties make war upon 
the Church, or menace the civil, political, or religious rights of its 
members as such, — against a policy of that kind, by any political party 
or set of men whatsoever, we assert the inherent right of self-preserva- 
tion for the Church, and her right and duty to call upon all her children, 
and upon all who love justice, and desire the perpetuation of religious 
liberty to come to her aid, to stand with her until the danger shall have 
passed. And this, openly submitting the justice of our cause to the 
enlightened judgment of our fellow men, should such an issue un- 
happily arise. We desire to live in peace and confidence with our 
fellow citizens of all political parties and of all religions." 

Since, according to the terms of this Address, the Mormon 
Church is so constantly and so insidiously threatened with ad- 
verse legislation and judicial persecution, it considers itself jus- 
tified in fortifying itself against such unjust and hypocritical 
procedures. This policy is perfectly just and perfectly Ameri- 
can. If it is objectionable to any of our citizens, they have 
themselves alone to thank. That it is a menace to the country 
itself, or to the institutions of a republican government, is pre- 
posterous. 

The writings of sectarian missionaries among the Mormons 
have generally complained feelingly that the " cause of Christ " 
is hampered by Mormon misdoings, and asked our people to peti- 
tion for laws to remove these troublesome obstructions to up- 
building thriving congregations. 

A conspicuous example of this is found in the manifesto of 
the Salt Lake Ministerial Association, circulated late in 1881, 
promulgated through the agency of Episcopal Bishop Tuttle 
and probably a potent influence in precipitating the oppression of 
the Mormons in the next few years. It reads as follows: 



336 THE REAL MORMONISM 

" Salt Lake City, November, 1881. 

" To the Ministers of the Church in the United States. 

" Dear "Brethren : The undersigned ministers of the various Chris- 
tian denominations in Salt Lake City hereby earnestly ask your attention 
to the following important statements concerning Mormonism: 

"1. Out of a total population of 143,000 in Utah about 110,000 are 
adherents of Mormonism. Of the anti-Mormon minority only a small 
percent render us active aid in our endeavors to establish Christian homes 
in the place of the foul system of polygamy which prevails in Utah. 
Hence, we greatly feel the need of your sympathy, prayers and efforts. 
" 2. Mormonism is no longer confined to Utah, but already holds the 
balance of power in Idaho, and has gained a strong foothold in Wyoming, 
Arizona, and Southern Colorado. 

"3. Although there has been a strict law against polygamy upon the 
United States statute book for more than eighteen years, only two 
persons have been convicted under it, and it is particularly a dead letter 
because of its defects. 

"4. In this matter we believe you will give us valuable^ help. The 
anti-polygamy law of Congress, in order to accomplish its intended 
results, needs to be amended in the following respects: 

" (1). So that the living together of the parties — the cohabitation, 
to use a legal term — shall be the proof of bigamy or polygamy, instead 
of the ceremony of marriage, because the latter is performed in the 
Endowment House, in the presence of faithful Mormons only, and no 
one of them will bear testimony to the fact. 

" (2). So that polygamy shall be a continuous crime, instead of 
being allowed as now, to expire within three years by a statute of limita- 
tion. 

" (3). So that the women shall be equally punishable with the men 
for this offense. 

" (4). So that the accessories to the polygamous marriage shall be 
equally punishable with the principals. 

" (5). So that the jury list may be increased to 400. 

" (6). So that adultery, seduction, lewd and lascivious cohabitation, 
and kindred offenses may be punishable as in the States and other terri- 
tories of the Union. 

" Now, may we ask that you will help us by seeing that these facts and 
considerations are brought at once to the attention of the Members of 
Congress from the various districts in which you live, to the end that 
they may be interested in securing for us, at the approaching session of 
Congress such legislation as will at once and forever put a stop to the 
further spread of polygamy. 

"Yours in behalf of Christian homes and American institutions." 
Daniel S. Tuttle, Bishop of Utah. 
R. M. Kirby, Pastor, St. Mark's Episcopal Church. 
L. Scanlan,* Vicar-general of the Catholic Church in Utah. 
S. J. McMillan, Superintendent, Presbyterian Mission work in Utah. 
G. D. B. Miller, Head Master of St. Mark's School. 
R. G. McNiece, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church. 
Lewis A. Rudiswill, Pastor of Methodist Church. 
D. L. Leonard, Superintendent, Congregational Mission Work in Utah. 
Theophilus B. Hilton, President, Salt Lake Seminary. 
C. M. Armstrong, Pastor, St. Mark's Episcopal Church. 

* It is stated on apparently reliable authority that Bishop Scanlan denied having 
signed this common petition, leaving the public to conclude that his name had been 
used without his authority. It does not seem probable that he would have par- 
ticipated with representatives of other bodies in this manner. 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 337 

This is a modern rendition of the ancient summons, " Come 
over and help us," but it is no very conspicuous improvement on 
the original. What relation it bears to the work that mission- 
aries are, supposedly, sent out to do is by no means clear. 
Plainly expressed, all these matters are none of a missionary's 
business. 

Contributors to home missions may learn here, however, that 
some of their representatives, at least, consider themselves quite 
as truly, and even more conspicuously, advance agents for the 
" Christian homes and American Institutions " enterprise, as 
plain heralds and examplars of the " Gospel of Christ — the 
power of God unto Salvation." They come before " souls in 
error" as wielders of legislative and judicial terrors — as a part 
of government, in fact — rather than with the Pauline message, 
" the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commands 
all men to repent and turn to Him." However, the world has 
progressed since Paul's day, and, so it happens, that missionaries 
now petition for " jury lists increased to 400" — a mystical num- 
ber perhaps — and laws inculpating women, and " accessories," 
as well as the men, believing, likely, that imprisoning their bodies 
would effectually soften their hearts toward the " gospel of love." 
These heralds of salvation discover an amazing anxiety to incul- 
pate women, holding, probably, that since their sects announce 
that females really have souls, they should be held sternly ac- 
countable for lapses from sectarian standards of righteousness. 

To this humble and Christian prayer came, as answer, the 
Edmunds Law — no very distinct echo of the Declaration of In- 
dependence, and a rather doubtful successor to the Emancipa- 
tion Proclamation and the Fourteenth Amendment — and the 
cruel " raid " of the middle and late " eighties " of the Nine- 
teenth Century, which we purpose describing later. At the time 
of evangelically-precipitated raid, in furtherance of whose aims 
several long-established principles of law were most cavalierly 
set aside, not only were women found equally punishable with 
men — many of them in delicate condition being persecuted and 
brow-beaten by prosecuting officers and grand juries, also com- 
mitted to jail for refusing to answer revolting and insulting 
questions — but even innocent children, some scarcely out of 
babyhood, were haled before these august bodies and questioned 
as to the " misdoings " of their parents. 

If this is what may be expected from the influence of sec- 
tarian pulpiteers in politics, it is quite evident that their domina- 
tion is in no very conspicuous sense superior to that of the much- 
hated Mormons. It might be well to keep them from " gerry- 
mandering " any of our states. 



338 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Thus, however, were reaped into full gamers the first fruits 
of missionary enterprise and " self-sacrifice " in Utah. And it 
is almost the only crop worth mentioning. 

On the appearance of this missionary manifesto, the Deseret 
News thus commented on the current rant against the participa- 
tion of religious bodies in politics : 

" There is a big noise over the alleged connection between Mormonism 
and Utah politics, while at the same time Methodism and other isms are 
interfering in national politics, and urging legislation with all the church 
influence they can command. It appears to be a heinous offense for 
Mormon Elders to have anything to do with secular affairs, but quite 
proper for Episcopal Bishops, Presbyterian priests or Methodist preachers 
to engage actively in political affairs, especially in bringing pressure to 
bear upon Congress antagonistic to the Latter-day Saints." 

Apart from interests communal or sectional, which have occar 
sionally determined the membership of the Mormon Church to 
vote as a virtual unit, and apart from their respect for the or- 
ganized authorities of their Church, which they are entitled to 
observe quite as much as the Catholics — they also have been 
assailed by the same fanatical element that has always fomented 
anti-Mormon sentiment — there is positively no ground whatever 
for fear that the Mormon " hierarchy " may break down the 
institutions of a " free democracy," and substitute a theocratic 
government in this country. The charge is merely contemptible, 
not to say positively ludicrous. It is merely the old slogan of 
" Know-Nothingism," whose excesses disgraced our country half 
a century ago, and which still crops out in occasional agitation 
against Catholicism. The attempts, also, to justify the charges 
of disloyalty and superstition-led danger to the state, are com- 
petent in evidence to show the full futility of the charges. 

Thus during the arguments upon the proposed amendments to 
the Edmunds law, in April, 1886, a certain R. N. Baskin of Salt 
Lake City, argued as follows before the Committee on Judiciary 
of the U. S. House of Representatives : 

" George Romney was one of the parties who was convicted, and when 
the court asked him if he would obey the law in the future, with a 
view to lightening the penalty, he refused to answer. The Salt Lake 
Herald of October 11, 1885, and of which my friend, the Hon, John 
T. Caine, is editor, came out with this statement: 

" ' There is sorrow when a man like George Romney goes to the 
penitentiary; but when one does go his friends and acquaintances feel 
like taking off their hats to him, for they feel that a brave and honest 
man is suffering because of bravery and honesty which will not permit 
him to do otherwise." 

" That theocracy will not permit a man to obey the laws of the land 
in the future, notwithstanding it is stated to him by the court that if 
he would make a promise in that regard the penalty would be lightened. 

"Hiram B. Clawson was asked the same question, and answered: 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 339 

" ' To me there are only two courses : One is prison and Honor ; the 
other is liberty and dishonor. Your honor, I have done.' 

"Judge Zane, after hearing what Mr. Clawson said on the subject, 
proceeded in the course of the sentence to say: 

'"As a man I have nothing to say whatever against you. I regret 
that you have not the courage and the manhood to stand up in defiance 
of a sect and say that you will obey the laws of your country, and that 
you will advise other men to abide by them. This timidity and cowardice 
is not becoming an American citizen. You seem to acknowledge that 
in your second reason, because you say that you would be ostracized 
and would become an outcast if you were to obey the laws of your 
country — if you were to promise to obey them — though many good 
men have died, not become ostracized, but died in their defense. That 
reason constituted no justification.' 

" Judge Zane asked him, ' Are you prepared to say to me that you 
will obey the laws in the future?' His response was, 'I would become 
an outcast if I were to do so.' This shows what they do with their 
members for the purpose of preventing them from making such promises. 
Now, in connection with this, there is an address made by John Taylor 
and George Q. Cannon, to which I call your attention to show that these 
men have never for a moment yielded anything, but state that they 
intend to stand by polygamy: 

"'Well meaning friends of ours have said that our refusal to re- 
nounce the principle of celestial marriage invites destruction. They 
warn us and implore us to yield. 

" ' They appeal to every human interest and adjure us to bow to a 
law which is admitted on all hands to have been framed expressly for 
the destruction of the principle which we are called upon to reject. . . . 
But they perceive not the hand of that Being who controls all storms, 
whose voice the tempest obeys, at whose fiat thrones and empires are 
thrown down — the Almighty God, Lord of Heaven and earth, who has 
made promises to us, and who has never failed to fulfil all his words. 
We do not reveal celestial marriage; we cannot withdraw or renounce 
it. God revealed it, and he has promised to maintain it and to^ bless 
those who obey it. Whatever fate, then, may threaten us, there is but 
one course for men of God to take; that is, to keep inviolate the holy 
covenants they have made in the presence of God and of angels.' 

" Now, in the face of all the decisions of the courts, in the face of 
public sentiment, which they refer to here, they persist in the maintenance 
of an anti-American institution in our republic — a system of polygamy 
and theocracy. If these gentlemen will think of it for a moment, they 
will see that we would be recreant to our trust if we did not attempt to 
put a stop to this practice. Would it be right in the light of our history 
for us to sit idly by and to see established a system so anti-American as 
this system of polygamy, theocratic polygamy." — Proposed Additional 
Legislation for Utah Territory (1886) pp. 5-6. 

The sharply defined issue between what Mr. Baskin chooses to 
designate " theocratic polygamy " and his own professed enthu- 
siasm, " democratic monogamy," may be very well estimated from 
these utterances of an able and determined exponent of "what 
was known as the Gentile side of the question." Although, as 
here set forth, such men as the above-mentioned Clawson, and 
several others behaving similarly, are represented as quite con- 
temptuous of law, for whose maintenance " many good men have 



340 THE REAL MORMONISM 

died " — how heroic the death of him who battles against " theo- 
cratic polygamy," or " polygamic theocracy " ! — the fact of the 
matter is that these men, as Mr. Baskin acknowledges at another 
place, were punished, not for polygamy, but for " unlawful co- 
habitation," as the law stated, " with more than one woman. 
Furthermore, as we shall see at another place, such " cohabita- 
tion " was most often found to be " constructive," merely, the 
courts convicting and condemning men, not for maintaining 
proved marital relations with several women, but for sup- 
porting the women and children involved in plural marriages 
entered into in good faith, even for maintaining friendly rela- 
tions with them. Because these men refused to cast off 
their children and the mothers of these children, allowing them 
to shift for themselves, or, more terrible yet, be thrown upon 
the tender mercies of a democratic, monogamous and Chris- 
tian community, they are haled before courts, convicted and 
sentenced, in order to allow the Gentile side of the question to 
derive a show of aggravated strength in the mouth of such an 
advocate as Baskin. Because, however, following the lead of 
Taylor, Cannon, and others, these accused chose to base their 
refusal to adjust their conduct to an unreasonable and brutal 
construction of the law — a construction directly calculated to 
recruit the " noble army " of vagabonds and social outcasts, who, 
like the poor, are " always with you " — on religious, rather than 
on moral, grounds, the natural duty of a man to protect his off- 
spring and shield their mother, we hear this utterly disingenuous 
denunciation of " un-American theocracy." The simple truth of 
the matter is that these people, basing their social institutions 
upon religion, as they have received it, interpret moral obliga- 
tions as religious duties; and this is, after all has been said, 
precisely what all religious sects attempt to express, often with 
far less success than does Mormonism. No set of people ever 
showed a greater ignorance of the genius of Mormonism than 
most of the federal judges sent to Utah to deal with alleged 
violations of the Edmunds law, unless it be the missionaries sent 
out to convert them, if possible. 

It may be asserted, indeed, that the expressions above quoted 
from Presidents Taylor and Cannon were not so much a de- 
fiance of civil law as an assertion of the duty of observing the ob- 
ligations involved in what is believed to be divine law. Nor, in 
other connections, have similar assertions been condemned as 
" distinctly seditious." It is well to remember that the Protes- 
tant sects, the busiest instigators of unjust legislation and op- 
pressive constructions against Mormonism, owe their origin and 
existence to perfectly similar assertions of the superiority of 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 341 

divine commands, as they believed them to be, to the civil laws 
which forbade " heresy " and " non-conformity." The civil au- 
thorities which punished " heresy " with massacres, persecutions 
and inquisitions may be righteously condemned as cruel and 
wicked, but the " reformers " whose influence urged helpless 
persons to expose themselves to the fury of persecution have their 
part in the blame, also. It is reasonable, however, to assert that 
the Mormon " theocracy," even in the worst light which its enemies 
have thrown upon it, is eminently American in these alleged de- 
fiances of so-called " righteous laws." Indeed, in asserting the 
duty and obligation to follow the dictates of conscience and " to 
keep inviolate the holy covenants," they were but " harking back " 
to the very origin of American institutions. Our country was 
settled originally as a refuge for religious non-conformists, 
" heretics " and separatists. Thus, England, demanding con- 
formity to her own national sect, drove out her Puritans, who 
settled in New England; allowed the Quakers to house them- 
selves in Pennsylvania ; granted a refuge to her Papists in Mary- 
land, and distributed her poor debtors and other unappreciated 
elements in other sections. Strictly speaking, all of these classes 
maintained a firm defiance of the laws of their native land, the 
religious — also, perhaps, some of the debtors — on the grounds 
of conscience, as alleged. Furthermore, New England, espe- 
cially the troublesome colony of Massachusetts Bay — like Utah, 
this was reputed a " turbulent territory " in its day — had a theo- 
cratic government of the most aggravated description. Non-con- 
formity to law, theocracy and " loyalty to the dictates of con- 
science" are inseparably American institutions, whether found 
among Mormons, and condemned, or originated among Puri- 
tans, and embalmed in verse and song. We deem that man a 
heretic who refuses to recognize the finality and sufficiency of our 
conclusions. But heretics resemble lunatics in one particular: 
they are quick to discern in others the very disorders that afflict 
themselves. Thus it is that heretics, having " weathered the 
fury of persecution," and having established free institutions — 
free for them — turn persecutors themselves, and denounce others 
for the " heroic traits " of their own forebears. 

Apart from the general tendency in religious circles to view 
non-conformity with displeasure, and to attribute to it all varieties 
of turpitude, even to misrepresent its motives and actions, it may 
be asserted with no serious danger of contradiction, that there 
exists in America no implacable antagonism to Mormonism. 
Such objections as exist in the mind of the average man rest 
entirely upon the misrepresentations of the system and its people, 
which certain classes of writer and speaker seem incapable of 



342 THE REAL MORMONISM 

avoiding. Thus, the essence of the so-called theocracy menace is 
the supposed oppressive activity of the " priesthood," backed, 
supposedly by their faithful, and ever-ready " Danites," " Shan- 
pips," or " destroying angels," who, as we are told, take vengeance 
on the " disobedient " ; thus explaining " mysterious disappear- 
ances," etc. This allegation, even in the mouth of a judge- 
orator, like J. S. Boreman, as previously quoted, who was on the 
ground, and must have had the opportunity for knowing the ab- 
surdity of the charge, is made in spite of the fact that, according 
to received estimates, at least 90 per cent of the male population 
of Mormon territory hold the priesthood in some degree. Thus, 
with a total of 92,103 in the entire enrollment of quorums, of which 
49,944 belong to the higher or Melchisedek priesthood, it would 
be a real service to the public to locate the seat of this alleged 
oppressive influence. It is evident, however, that the entire 
strength of the allegation, in the majority of cases, rests upon 
a play upon the word " priesthood " ; using it in the sense of the 
total membership of all priestly quorums, rather than in the ab- 
stract sense of the " state of being a priest," the " essential dignity 
and office of a priest," which is the usual sense in Mormon writ- 
ings. Thus the late Justin S. Morrill, when Congressman from 
a Vermont district, delivered a speech in the House of Represen- 
tatives, February 24, 1857, which includes the following line of 
reasoning : 

"This hierarchy is clearly repugnant to the Constitution of the 
United States, which guarantees to every State a republican form of 
government. The republican form of government in Utah is a dead 
letter, existing only pro forma, and only so much of the tattered remains 
are exhibited as will secure the largesses of the national Government; 
while the real bona fide government is that of the Mormon priesthood. 
The obligations of the Constitution cannot be held in abeyance or 
postponed, nor have the people of Utah the right to evade them. A 
republican form of government in substance, and not in shadow, is 
required at the hands of the United States at all hazards. How can 
this be complied with if we suffer our Territories, while in a state of 
pupilage, so to educate the people, mold their habits, fix their affections 
and their antipathies — so to control the rights of persons and property, 
as to make a republican form of government unprofitable, sinful, hated, 
and impossible. 

" The test which Brigham Young requires as the sole dispenser of 
the 'blessings of Abraham' is subserviency to the priesthood, as will 
be seen in one of his published discourses of February 27, 1853 : 

" * The elders of Israel frequently call upon me — " Brother Brigham, 
a word in private, if you please." " Bless me, this is no secret to me. 
I know what you want ; it is to get a wife " : " Yes, Brother Brigham, if 
you are willing." 

"'I tell you here, now, in the presence of the Almighty God, it is not 
the privilege of any elder to have even one wife before he has honored 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 343 

his priesthood, before he has magnified his calling. If you obtain one 
it is by mere permission, to see what you will do, how you will act, 
whether you will conduct yourself in righteousness in that holy estate.' 
" This power, held in the hands of one man, and that man Brigham 
Young, is one which may be wielded with tremendous effect." 

As anyone acquainted with the history or organization of the 
Mormon Church must recognize beyond dispute, it is only Gov- 
ernor Morrill's evident ignorance of the subject that absolves him 
from the charge of deliberate misrepresentation. While, as seems 
well attested, quite as large a proportion of the male population 
held the priesthood in 1857 as at the present day, thus, providing 
that they voted as a unit, basing the " unrepublican government " 
of Utah upon the will of the majority in correct form, the quo- 
tation from President Young's discourse involves no such teach- 
ing as he attributes to it. In spite of Brigham Young's character- 
istic vigor of expression, which frequently lent itself to the hostile 
interpretations of his enemies, we must recognize that he is here 
asserting the duty of an " elder," or a man holding the priesthood 
of the higher order, to " honor his [own] priesthood," by suitable 
performances — to "magnify his calling," in other words — be- 
fore seeking the privileges of which the President of the Church 
alone holds the " key." It is perfectly evident, in other words, 
that the word " priesthood," here indicates the state or dignity of 
a priest, more correctly of an " elder," and that, in this sense, it is 
made synonymous with the " calling," which each man is urged 
to " magnify." How a sentence worded, as is this one of Presi- 
dent Young's, could thus be misinterpreted by so able a man as 
Morrill is mysterious indeed. 

It is altogether certain that, whatever faults may be justly 
laid to the Mormons, or to Mormonism itself, the primary impetus 
for the traditional objections to and misrepresenation of both 
has been distinctly in the sectarian bodies opposed to them. Thus, 
from its earliest days, when its " priesthood " had as yet had no 
time to perfect its " repressive influence," when its alleged " dis- 
loyal intentions " could have been classed only as impotent railings 
against authority — if, indeed, there ever were any really dis- 
loyal intentions on the part of this organization or its people — 
the Mormons were persecuted and manhandled, as a regular part, 
apparently, of the routine duties of the neighborhoods which they 
inhabited. Also, the number of Protestant preachers, principally 
of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist denominations, found 
participants in mobs attacking them, show the real origin of the 
persistent persecution of these people. It is perfectly reasonable 
to hold that people who persist in horse-stealing, and other forms 
of misdemeanor would be mobbed in the various places reached 
by them — and this explanation of Mormon persecutions is ac- 



344 THE REAL MORMONISM 

cepted by most people — but it is equally credible that the sec- 
tarian animosities, which had instigated mobs against them in one 
place, would communicate themselves to others, with the same 
results in all cases. The latter explanation is rather the prefer- 
able one, since the leading objectors to Mormons at the present 
day are the preachers of rival sects, who care nothing for horse- 
stealing or political chicanery in other parts of the country, but 
object very seriously to a system which, should it prevail, would 
actually abolish the clerical profession, with most of its at- 
tendant disadvantages to society and to the vitality of religion; 
and which, moreover, proclaims them apostates, one and all, de- 
void of authority to preach the Gospel of Christ or to administer 
in His name. This is the real Mormon " menace," and the real 
cause of the clerically conducted persecutions of these people. 
But for this no one would have discovered their " disloyalty " and 
" political significances " — unless indeed political " Carpet-bag- 
gers " — while, as for their polygamy, it would have passed to as 
venerable a stage of uninterrupted prosperity as " machine poli- 
tics," or official betrayal of public trusts, which seem to argue 
some defects in the moral sentiments of our people, quite worthy 
to rank with even " immorality " of varieties sexual. 

The conclusion that the " political menace of the Mormon 
Church " is a dream and a delusion has been repeatedly affirmed 
by really conscientious and capable observers of the system and 
people. Thus, Bishop F. S. Spalding of the Episcopal Church in 
Utah, writing in review of a recent violent and ill-informed anti- 
Mormon book, which he finds full of errors, states : 

" We have not commented on Dr. Kinney's references to the political 
power of the Mormons. We feel very strongly that the subject is 
chiefly a religious and theological one, and that Mission Study classes 
should treat it as such. Mr. Reed Smoot represents the Mormon busi- 
ness interests in the United States Senate in no different way than 
Senator Penrose represents the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Senator 
Aldrich the Morgan interests. Still, the inaccuracy of this book is in- 
creased by its acceptance of the absurdly exaggerated statistics, given in 
the Cosmopolitan Magazine, of the Mormon Church in other states than 
Utah and Idaho. To hint that the Mormons control Colorado, Oregon, 
Nevada and Washington is as absurd as to claim that the Prohibitionists 
control New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut." — Spirit of Missions, 
Sept. 1912, p. 688. 

The situation in the present case, as in others where unreason- 
ing prejudice reigns, may not be settled, probably, by referring 
to authoritative documents, even published statements of official 
assemblages. It is well, however, to quote such, and to insist 
that there is no evidence whatever that the Mormons have not 
always endeavored to the best of their abilities to live up to their 
professions of loyalty to the United States Constitution and the 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 345 

laws of the land. In the matter of polygamy, which, as we shall 
see later, was a religious tenet, their contention was that the laws 
made against it were unconstitutional, on the ground that the 
Constitution distinctly specified that " Congress shall make no 
law respecting an establishment of religion." Nor can there be a 
question that the objection admitted of legal argument. So, in 
the persistently repeated accusation that the Church authorities 
aimed to erect a " theocracy," whose rulings should be superior 
to those of the civil government, we are met at every point by 
plain statements that evidently show a sentiment contrary to any 
such designs. Furthermore, this is true of Mormon history from 
the days of Joseph Smith's domination in Nauvoo, as already 
shown, to the present. When, in February, 1883, the proposi- 
tion to admit Utah as a state was argued before the Committee 
on Territories of the United States Senate, and violently opposed 
by certain persons professing to represent the " Gentile element," 
Representative John T. Caine made the following statements, 
whose accuracy may be verified by any historical student: 

"Even admitting our good faith, the faction in Utah who oppose 
Utah's admission as a State of the Union would not be satisfied. They 
do not care anything about polygamy. They oppose Utah's admission 
with the Mormons in a voting majority. They raise the question of the 
union of church and state. If they would only be perfectly frank they 
would tell you that it is the Mormons' politics and not their religion or 
their practices that they obj ect to. 

"There is not, and never has been, an intention on the part of the 
Mormons to set up a church establishment or to countenance a union of 
church and state. They had an excellent opportunity to unite ecclesiasti- 
cal and civil affairs when they settled in Salt Lake Valley before it had 
become a part of the territory of the United States ; but they did nothing 
of the kind. On the contrary, when in 1849, they formulated a constitu- 
tion for the State of Deseret and asked to be admitted to the Union, 
the preamble to the constitution adopted March 10, 1849, declared : 

" ' Whereas a large number of citizens of the United States, before 
and since the treaty of peace with the Republic of Mexico, emigrated to 
and settled in that portion of the territory of the United States lying 
west of the Rocky Mountains and in the Great Interior Basin of Upper 
California; and 

" ' Whereas by reason of said treaty all civil organization originating 
from the Republic of Mexico became abrogated; and 

"'Whereas the Congress of the United States has failed to provide 
a form of Civil government for the territory so acquired or any portion 
thereof; and 

" ' Whereas it is a fundamental principle in all republican governments 
that all political power is inherent in the people, and governments in- 
stituted for their protection, security and benefit should emanate from the 
same: 

" ' Therefore, your committee beg leave to recommend the adoption of 
the following constitution until the Congress of the United States shall 
otherwise provide for the government of the territory herein after 
named and described.' 



346 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"Their declaration of rights contained the following: 

"'All men (Shall) have a natural and inalienable right to worship 
God according to the dictates of their own consciences ; and the general 
assembly shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or 
prohibiting the free exercise thereof or disturb any person in his re- 
ligious worship or sentiments; provided he does not disturb the public 
peace or obstruct others in their religious worship; and all persons, 
demeaning themselves peaceably as good members of the State, shall 
be equally under the protection of the laws; and no subordination or 
preference of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be 
established by law, nor shall any religious test be ever required for any 
office of trust under this state.' 

" Can you discover any theocratic tendencies in this declaration ? Have 
the Mormons not been uniformly consistent? 

" In 1849 they provided in their constitution for the State of Deseret 
that ' the general assembly shall make no law respecting an establishment 
of religion,' and forbade the ' Subordination or preference of any one 
sect or denomination to another/ In 1887 we provided that ' there shall 
be no union of church and state, nor shall any church dominate the 
state/ 

" On the other hand, what do our opponents demand ? They would 
have you, in spite of the prohibition of the Constitution of the United 
States, make a religious test so far as the Mormons are concerned. 
They have time and time again demanded that membership in the Mor- 
mon Church should per se disqualify a man for any office of public trust 
in the Territory of Utah. 

"Realizing, finally, that you cannot disregard your solemn oaths, they 
demand that you shall do by indirection what you dare not do directly. 
They demand that every vestige of political power shall be taken from 
the people of Utah, and vested in a commission to be appointed by the 
President, by and with the advice of the Senate. 

" In reply to our invitation to all citizens of Utah to participate in a 
movement for statehood, the little knot of zealots, who claim to speak 
for all non-Mormons of Utah, declared — 

" ' That we oppose placing governmental authority in Mormon hands, 
because we regard the system as one totally at war with all our recognized 
ideas of republican government, and incapable of being so reformed as 
to be made in any degree a depository of impartial governing power.' 

" What is this but a declaration that Mormons ought not ' in any 
degree' be trusted with political power? The Mormons, because they 
are Mormons, ought to have no political rights if they are in the 
majority. 

"That is the declaration of our opponents. It is a square religious 
test issue made by them. You can satisfy these malignant and ceaseless 
agitators in but one way — by giving them political control ; by reversing 
the fundamental principles of American institutions and setting the 
minority to rule over the majority. 

" You can only do that by making membership in the Mormon Church 
cause for disfranchisement. Before you can do that you will have to 
amend the Constitution, and destroy one of the strongest pillars of our 
Government — religious liberty — the right of every man to ( worship 
God according to the dictates of his own conscience." — Admission of 
Utah (Pamphlet Report of a hearing before the Senate Committee on 
Territories, February 18, 1888). 

As must be evident to any candid reader, the " declaration of 
rights," above quoted, is similar in every respect to the edict of 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 347 

toleration, as it may be termed, which was passed by the Council 
of the City of Nauvoo, in the days of Joseph Smith himself. 
This document has already been quoted in the section discussing 
the history of Smith's activities " as lawgiver and executive." 

It seems a remarkable fact that this " malignant and ceaseless " 
agitation against " un-American " influences, which had deceived 
so able a man as Justin Morrill into making the misstatements just 
quoted from his speech, should be so zealous against an influence 
that, in alleged un-American fashion, had supplanted the govern- 
ing rights of the majority by the will and influence of a hypo- 
thetical clique, dubbed the " priesthood," as to reach its apogee in 
a movement to deprive the majority of its right to self-govern- 
ment. No one seems to have thought of running to earth the 
members of this oft-mentioned wicked clique of " priests," and 
depriving them of the rights to govern themselves or others. 
The whole people were discriminated against, when the " priests " 
seemed to vanish into the fastnesses of undiscoverable seques- 
tration. The situation is precisely that outlined in a previous 
quotation from Judge Jeremiah S. Black, when he declared that 
" the end and object of this whole system of hostile measures 
against Utah seems to be the destruction of popular rule in that 
territory." 

However completely sundry writers, blinded by their zeal for 
something quite other than accuracy of statement, may have dis- 
torted and misquoted the remarks of prominent Mormons into 
" disloyal expressions," it may be asserted, without fear of suc- 
cessful contradiction, that this " Mormon menace " bogie is merely 
a dream of bigotry and sectarian and sectional jealousy. Even 
in the worst light possible, the Mormon Church could not be any 
more of a menace to free institutions and other sacred rights of 
man than are sundry other influences at work in our midst, which 
receive little or no attention from our agitators. The entire accu- 
sation is merely the craven and cowardly spirit of " Know-Noth- 
ingism," which is, in itself, far more of a menace than Mor- 
monism, Romanism, or any other object of its rage, has ever 
dreamed of being. The same statements have been made by per- 
sons eminently well acquainted with both Mormon and " Gentile " 
conditions in the Territory and State of Utah. Among such we 
may quote the late A. B. Carlton, formerly Chairman of the Utah 
Commission, and for seven years one of its members. He writes, 
under title " History Repeating Itself," the following character- 
istic comment: 

" The advocacy of religious freedom is no new thing with the author 
of this volume. More than a third of a century ago, he defended the 
Catholic against the Know-Nothing crusade. He was not a Catholic 



348 THE REAL MORMONISM 

and is a native of America, as were his ancestors for many generations ; 
but a sense of justice and devotion to the Constitution, together with a 
natural disposition to take the side of the under dog in the fight, im- 
pelled him to take an active part in opposition to bigotry, intolerance 
and persecution. It is curious to observe that the same war cries and 
catch-words were invoked in the crusade against the Catholics as are 
now employed against the Mormons; for example, 'allegiance to a 
foreign power'; 'abject obedience to the commands of the head of the 
Church'; — ''danger of the government being overthrown'; 'Americans 
must rule,' etc. 

" In those days, too, similar means were employed to inflame the public 
mind. Books purporting to be written by apostate priests and escaped 
nuns, embellished with monstrous pictures, were circulated all over the 
country. This craze prevailed for one or two years, and finally met 
with an ignominious defeat in Virginia. In August, 1855, the spirit of 
persecution culminated in the murder of a large number of Catholics 
and foreigners, and the burning of churches and dwellings in Louisville, 
Ky. This tragic event and the spirit of the times which led up to it 
were commemorated by the author of this book in some stanzas, written 
in imitation of the ' Battle of Blenheim.' 

" It should be explained that ' Sam ' was a name assumed by the 
Know-Nothing-Party, ' Cheyennes ' and ' Hindus ' were epithets bestowed 
upon them by their opponents. 

" THE BATTLE OF LOUISVILLE 

" It was on an August evening ; — 

The Bloody work was done, 

And ' Samuel ' at his cottage door 

Was sitting in the Sun; 

And by him sitting on a stool 

His little grandchild, William Poole. 

" They saw the dead with ghastly wounds 
And limbs burnt off, borne by; — 
And then old Sam, he shook his head, 
And with a holy sigh, 
* They're only Dutch and Irish' said he, 
' Who fell in the great victory.' 

" ' Now, tell me what 'twas all about/ 
Young William Poole he cries, 
While looking in his grand-dad's face 
With wonder-waiting eyes ; — 
' Now, tell me all about the war, 
And what they killed the Irish for.' 

" ' They were Know-Nothings,' Samuel cried, 
' ' Who put them all to rout ; 

But what they shot and burnt them for, 

I could not well make out. 

But Major Barker said,' quoth he, 

' That 'twas a glorious victory? 

"'The Dutch and Irish lived in peace 
Yon silvery stream hard by; 



THE ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 349 

The Hindoos burnt their dwellings down, 
And forced them all to fly; 
So with their wives and children fled, 
Nor had they where to rest their head. 

" ' With fire and guns the city round 

Was wasted far and wide; 

And many an Irish mother then, 

And new-born baby died ; 

And things like that, you know must be, 

At a Know-Nothing victory. 

" ' They say it was a shocking sight, 

After the day was won ; — 

For twenty bloody corpses there 

Lay rotting in the sun ; 

But things like these you know must be 

After a Know-Nothing victory.' 

" * Great glory George D. Prentice won, 
And also Captain Stone ' ; — 

* Why, 'twas a very wicked thing,' 
Quoth Samuel's little son : — 

1 Nay, nay, my little boy,' said he, 
'It was a famous victory.' 

"'And Cheyennes said: Americans 
America shall rule ' ; — 

* But what good came of it at last? ' 
Quoth little William Poole; — 

' Why, that I cannot tell,' said he. 
' But 'twas a glorious victory.' " 

— Wonderlands of the Wild West, pp. 344-345- 



CHAPTER XXIV 

HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE IN THE MORMON COUNTRY 

The previously-quoted statements made by Mormon women 
of character and intelligence upon the practical operation of the 
"order" of plural marriage are competent to evidence the fact 
that they did not consider themselves " down-trodden " ; were not 
seeking or conniving at offers of sympathy and " assistance " from 
the outside, and show that they certainly were not " degraded." 
Whether, or not, the institution itself were wrong and unlawful, 
it is certain that by far the greater part of the opposition to it, 
with the resulting actual persecution and real injustice, was based 
upon prejudice that was unwilling, if not incapable, of " consider- 
ing the matter from the other side." Thus, the Rev. J. P. New- 
man, after an absurd debate with Orson Pratt on the question 
" Does the Bible Sanction Polygamy ? ", in which he had by no 
means the best of the argument, retires to San Francisco and 
emits a statement to the effect that Washington was a Paradise 
of virtue as compared to Salt Lake City. Anyone acquainted 
with the morals of Washington, or of any other great city, might 
conclude that Salt Lake was a veritable " sink." The real mean- 
ing of his reported remark seems to be elucidated by the words 
of another preacher, the Rev. J. C. Talbot, an Episcopal bishop, 
who wrote of a visit to Salt Lake during the period of the Civil 
War: 

" Outwardly this is the most moral, orderly and quiet city I have ever 

seen. No saloon, gambling den or evil house exists in this community 

of 15,000 souls; yet the inner life is most shocking to the Christian 

sense." 

It was not because these people did not achieve and preserve 
social order and decency; that they were not clean and upright 
in their lives ; or, as their women testify, that they were not happy, 
as well as true to the " dictates of their consciences " — and these 
" dictates " have figured conspicuously in the history of our coun- 
try — but, precisely, that they persisted in maintaining a social 
institution uncountenanced by traditional standards. We have 
seen already that, had the ideas of Joseph Smith, Ralph Waldo 

350 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 351 

Emerson, and other wise and sane leaders of thought, been more 
generally adopted, the institution of chattel slavery might have 
been abolished without the horrors of the cruel and expensive 
Civil War and all the injustices to the South. We may under- 
stand also, that, had the question of dealing with Mormon polyg- 
amy been placed wholly in the hands of intelligent and truly 
American statesmen, a closer approximation of real justice might 
have been achieved. In both cases hysterical and self-righteous 
elements were allowed to influence the judgment of men sup- 
posedly competent to make laws for civilized human beings, and 
with results that are by no means gratifying. 

In addition to the various preachers who issued the appeal of 
November, 1 881, to the American public, several worthy and well- 
meaning women seized upon the " polygamy issue " as an op- 
portunity to make themselves conspicuous. One of these wrote 
a sensational book on the subject that was widely circulated in 
the East, also quoted extensively in tracts issued by several re- 
ligious bodies. It is needless to remark, however, that very few 
of her dozens of horrible stories of " oppression and misery " con- 
tain any such definite specifications of names and places as would 
give the inquirer the ability to verify her statements. Some time 
after the appearance of this book, she contributed an article to 
an anti-Mormon newspaper in Salt Lake, deploring the prevalence 
of the " social evil " in that city, and making bold to assert that 
an overwhelming number of the abandoned women there found 
were of Mormon parentage and antecedents. The editor of the 
Deseret Evening News very reasonably inquired how it was that 
she could have had such intimate acquaintance with the life- 
histories of so many of these unfortunates. No answer to this 
query was ever vouchsafed : nor is this remarkable. 

Several other ladies of recognized literary ability served the 
" cause " by lurid accounts of the " sad-faced " women to be met 
in every Mormon community, which constituted touching appeals 
to American womanhood to help break the chains of these " down- 
trodden " sisters. Nor did such appeals fail to excite the " com- 
passion " of the " better element." It should be a sobering re- 
flection to those " reformers " among us who assert that the vote 
in the hands of women will inevitably solve all the difficulties 
of society that the " oppression " of a large and representative 
body of women, who had exercised the voting privilege for years, 
had to be made the subject of a nation-wide agitation; further- 
more, that, even then, these women could not be persuaded that 
they really were oppressed. One lady, a certain Mrs. Newman of 
Lincoln, Nebraska, evidently not a suffragist of the modern type, 
was particularly active in this " reforming " campaign. She at- 



352 THE REAL MORMONISM 

tended the mass meeting of women in Salt Lake City, previously 
mentioned, and commented on it, as follows : 

" Mrs. Hannah T. King, in her speech to-day in the theatre, says : ' I 
cannot refrain from asking, Am I in America?' 

" Myself a New Englander by birth and education, reared in the 
atmosphere of loyalty, my own heart puts forth to-day the question, ' Am 
I in America ? ' 

" I have traveled all over this fair land ; I have sat in the councils of 
the women of the nation; I have participated in the discussions of the 
various organizations of women, both State and national ; in benevolent, 
reformatory, in political action; and have to-day heard for the first 
time treasonable utterances from the lips of my own sex ; for the first 
time a defiance of the laws which shelter womanhood. And I desire to 
state in your columns, as a representative of the loyal women of the 
states, that there is not a spot on this continent, outside of Utah, where 
the seditious sentiments expressed in the theatre to-day could have a 
hearing or receive a single personal endorsement from any woman of any 
race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Any woman in the 
States who should so insult the representatives of this great Republic 
would invite a fate more speedy and none the less terrible than that of 
J. Wilkes Booth. 

" As a Christian wife and mother, I, in behalf of the Christian homes 
of this Republic, repudiate the oft-repeated charge of the speakers in 
the theatre, that the lasciviousness of the age is due to monogamous or 
Christian marriage." (Note : — ■ No such charge was made by any speaker 
at this meeting, as must be insisted in all fairness. Mrs. Newman mis- 
understood.) 

" ' 30,000 ' demi-monde of New York mentioned to-day are such in 
defiance of the laws of Christian homes over whose threshold they 
cannot pass. . . . 

" The blessed Stars and Stripes which hung in mocking irony above 
the heads of disloyal women, to-day, are crimson with the blood of 
sons of loyal mothers. The stars have been set in that field of blue 
through the tears and toil and prayer to the God of battles, to the 
Christian's God (not Mormon god) to the God of Christian homes. 

"Treason is not to find shelter under the flag, and whatever of 
sympathy or protection the women of Utah expect from this Govern- 
ment is disclaimed in their present hostile attitude. They cut the cords 
which bind them to the world's heart when they thus blaspheme the 
nation's God, repudiate the nation's sovereignty and the Christian 
home. 

"Liberty protected by law is the only liberty under the flag." — 
Salt Lake Tribune, March 9, 1886. 

It is entirely unnecessary to comment on such a document as 
this, even though the editor of the Tribune, in the issue of the 
following day, characterized it as a " stinging card." The pro- 
ceedings of the meeting referred to have been printed in a pam- 
phlet, which may be found and read in the department devoted to 
Mormon literature in any large public library. The protest was 
against sumptuary legislation, which had entailed great hardships 
upon the women of Utah territory, violent arrests in several in- 
stances, as alleged, and badgering examinations in court by attor- 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 353 

neys, whose zeal and self-importance often exceeded their humane 
sentiments. Protests against such doings as these, and against 
the laws basing them, are among the rights guaranteed to a 
" free people," who, in the words of the text books of two genera- 
tions since, " choose their own rulers and make their own laws." 
To say that such protests are " seditious " or " treasonable " is 
absurd. One should read the Declaration of Independence for a 
fair example of precisely this kind of " treason." The mass meet- 
ing in question appointed a committee to prepare a memorial to 
Congress, and adopted resolutions, as follows: 

Whereas, The rights and liberties of women are placed in jeopardy 
by the present cruel and inhuman proceedings in the Utah courts, 
and in the contemplated measure in Congress to deprive the women 
voters in Utah of the elective franchise; and, 

Whereas, Womanhood is outraged by the compulsion used in the 
courts of Utah to force mothers on pain of imprisonment to disclose 
their personal condition and that of their friends in relation to an- 
ticipated maternity, and to give information as to the fathers of their 
children; and, 

Whereas, These violations of decency have now reached the length 
of compelling legal wives to testify against their husbands without 
their consent, in violation both of written statutes and the provisions 
of the common law, therefore, be it 

Resolved, By the women of Utah in mass meeting assembled, that the 
suffrage originally conferred upon us as a political privilege, has become 
a vested right by possession and usage for fifteen years, and that we pro- 
test against being deprived of that right without process of law, and for 
no other reason than that we do not vote to suit our political opponents. 

Resolved, That as no wife of a polygamist, legal or plural, is per- 
mitted to vote under the laws of the United States, to deprive non- 
polygamous women of the suffrage is high-handed oppression for which 
no valid excuse can be offered. 

Resolved, That the questions concerning their personal condition, the 
relationship they bear to men marked down as victims to special law, 
and the paternity of their born and unborn children, which have been 
put to women before grand juries and in open courts in Utah, are an 
insult to pure womanhood, an outrage upon the sensitive feelings of our 
sex and a disgrace to officers and judges who have propounded and en- 
forced them. 

Resolved, That the action of the District Attorney and the Chief 
Justice of Utah, in compelling a lawful wife to testify for the prosecu- 
tion in a criminal case involving the liberty of her husband and in face 
of her own earnest protest, is a violation of laws which those officials 
have sworn to uphold, is contrary to precedent and usage for many 
centuries, and is an invasion of family rights and of that union be- 
tween husband and wife which both law and religion have held sacred 
from time immemorial. 

Resolved, That we express our profound appreciation of the moral 
courage exhibited by Senators Call, Morgan, Teller, Brown and others, 
and also by Mrs. Belva H. Lockwood, who, in the face of almost over- 
whelming prejudice, have defended the rights of the people of Utah. 

Resolved, That we extend our heartfelt thanks to the ladies of the 



354 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Woman Suffrage Association assembled in Boston, and unite in praying 
that God may speed the day when both men and women shall shake 
from their shoulders the yoke of tyranny. 

Resolved, That we call upon the wives and mothers of the United 
States to come to our help in resisting these encroachments upon our 
liberties and these outrages upon our peaceful homes and family rela- 
tions, and that a committee be appointed at this meeting to memorialize 
the President and Congress of the United States in relation to our 
wrongs, and to take all necessary measures to present our views and 
feelings to the country. 

As may be recognized by any one having the remotest knowledge 
of the law, there was abundant excuse for protesting against the 
ruling by which a wife was compelled to testify against her hus- 
band in such proceedings as were then being instituted in the 
courts of Utah. The principle had long been accepted that a 
wife's testimony under such conditions is incompetent. That 
many women, some in delicate condition, were harshly treated by 
prosecuting attorneys cannot be denied. Yet the move to protest 
against these legal innovations and violations of personal rights is 
openly characterized by prejudiced writers and newspapers as an 
act of "treason." 

The memorial to Congress, signed by a committee of twelve 
women, related the following causes of complaint : 

"On the 22d of March, 1882, an act of Congress was passed which 
is now commonly known as the Edmunds law. It was generally under- 
stood to have been framed for the purpose of settling what is called 
the Utah question, by condoning plural marriages up to that date and 
preventing their occurrence in the future, and also to protect the 
home, maintain the integrity of the family and shield innocent women 
and children from the troubles that might arise from its enforcement. 
But instead of being administered and executed in this spirit, it has 
been made the means of inflicting upon the women of Utah immeas- 
urable sorrow and unprecedented indignities, of disrupting families, of 
destroying homes, and of outraging the tenderest and finest feelings of 
human nature. 

" The law has been so construed by the courts as to bring its penalties 
to bear upon the innocent. Men who had honestly arranged with their 
families so as to keep within the limits of the law have been punished 
with the greatest possible severity, and their wives and children have 
been forced before courts and grand juries, and compelled to disclose 
the most secret and private relations which in all civilized countries are 
held sacred to the parties. The meaning of the law has been changed 
so many times that no one can say definitely what is its signification. 
Those who have lived by the law, as interpreted in one case, find, as 
soon as they are entrapped, that a new rendering is constructed to make 
it applicable to their own. Under the latest ruling, a man who has 
contracted plural marriages, no matter at how remote a date, must 
not only repudiate his family and cease all connection with them, 
but if he is known to associate with them in the most distant man- 
ner, support them and show any regard whatever for their welfare, the 
offense of unlawful cohabitation is considered to have been fully es- 
tablished, and he is liable to exorbitant fines and imprisonment for an 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 355 

indefinite period, one district judge holding that a separate indictment 
may be found for each day of such association and recognition. In the 
case of Solomon Edwards, recently accused of this offense, it was 
proven by the evidence for the prosecution, that the defendant had lived 
with one wife only since the passage of the Edmunds act, but after 
having separated from his former plural wife, he called with his legal 
wife at the former's residence to obtain a child, an agreement having 
been made that each party should have one of the two children, and 
the Court ruled that this was unlawful cohabitation in the meaning 
of the law, and defendant was convicted. 

" In the case of Lorenzo Snow, now on appeal to the Supreme Court 
of the United States, the evidence for the prosecution showed that the 
defendant had lived with only one wife since the passage of the Ed- 
munds law, that he had not even visited other portions of his family 
except to call for a few moments to speak to one of his sons, but be- 
cause he supported his wives and children and did not utterly and en- 
tirely cast them off, under instructions of Judge Orlando W. Powers, 
he was convicted three times for the alleged offense and sentenced in 
each case to the full penalties of the law, aggregating $900 fine, besides 
costs, and eighteen months' imprisonment, the judge stating in his in- 
structions to the jury : * It is not necessary that the evidence should 
show that the defendant and these women, or either of them, occupied 
the same bed, slept in the same room or dwelt under the same roof.' 
'The offense of cohabitation is complete when a man, to all outward 
appearance, is living or associating with two or more women as his 
wives.' 

"Thus women who are dependent upon the men whom they regard 
as their husbands, with whom they have lived, as they have regarded it, 
in honorable wedlock, must not only be separated from their society and 
protection, but must be treated as outcasts, and be driven forth with 
their children to shame and distress, for the bare ' association ' of 
friendship is counted a crime and punished with all the severity in- 
flicted upon those who have not in any way severed their plural fam- 
ily relations. 

" In order to fasten the semblance of guilt upon men accused of this 
offense, women are arrested and forcibly taken before sixteen men and 
plied with questions that no decent women can hear without a blush. 
Little children are examined upon the secret relations of their parents, 
and wives in regard to their own condition and the doings of their 
husbands. If they decline to answer, they are imprisoned in the 
penitentiary as though they were criminals." — Mormon Women's Pro- 
test, pp. 82-84. 

With all due allowance for the high and bitter feelings that 
doubtless inspired this document, it must be insisted that its 
allegations are perfectly correct, as evidenced by the authoritative 
reports on the cases then in course of prosecution. In accordance 
with the petition of November, 1881, professedly originated and 
signed by Episcopal Bishop Tuttle and other Protestant mission- 
aries, but evidently concocted by political enemies of the Mormon 
system — they made these preachers mere tools of their spite — 
polygamy was not only construed as a " continuous crime," to 
be evidenced by the simple act of introducing a woman as one's 
wife, and to be evaded by no means other than complete repudia- 



356 THE REAL MORMONISM 

tion of both wives and children, but, quite in accord with the 
" sense of justice" of these clerical busybodies, each such act of 
introducing, calling on, or otherwise acknowledging natural re- 
sponsibilities — even those incurred against the letter of man-made 
civil law — was construed as a separate offense to be punished, 
if the court should so determine, by the extreme penalties pre- 
scribed by law. We then hear that protests against these astound- 
ing miscarriages of justice are " disloyal " and " treasonable." A 
brief review of some of the most notable cases in point will fully 
establish the justice of the protests made, and display the utter 
contempt for human rights possible under the influence of even 
American fanaticism. It is surprising also to find how strenu- 
ously the enemies of Mormonism — not merely the enemies of 
polygamy — labored to compel men to desert women and children, 
who, in any construction of morals, had a just right to expect 
support and assistance at their hands. Such procedures go far 
to argue that several of the grossest infamies of social life are 
accredited institutions of civilization; also, that they are so re- 
garded by professed teachers of " righteousness." 

This, in the case of the United States vs. Angus M. Cannon 
(reported in 4 Utah, pp. 122-152), the greatest fight made by de- 
fendant's counsel was in the effort to obtain a construction of the 
Edmunds Law of 1882, so as to define the term " unlawful co- 
habitation." The defense contended with some show of legal 
authority that sexual relationship was essential to the commission 
of this offense, and declared itself prepared to prove that this 
condition had not been fulfilled by the defendant during the 
period named in the indictment. The Supreme Court of Utah 
affirmed, however, as follows: 

"The offense of cohabiting with more than one woman is committed 
by a man who so associates with two women as to hold them out to the 
world as his wives, and it is not essential to the commission of such 
offense that he should have sexual intercourse with either of them." 

An appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States a majority 
decision was rendered, affirming as follows: 

"A strong appeal was made in argument to this court, not to up- 
hold the rulings of the trial court, because that would require a polyga- 
mous husband not only to cease living with his plural wives, but also 
to abandon the women themselves; and this court was asked to indi- 
cate what the conduct of the husband toward them must be in order 
to conform to the requirements of the law. It is sufficient to say that 
while what was done by the defendant in this case, after the passage of 
the Act of Congress, was not lawful, no court can say in advance what 
particular state of things will be lawful further than this : that he 
must not cohabit with more than one woman, in the sense of the word 
'cohabit' as hereinbefore defined. While Congress has legitimated the 
issue of polygamous marriages, born before January 1, 1883, and thus 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 357 

given to such issue claims upon their father which the law will recog- 
nize and enforce, it has made no enactment in respect to any right or 
status of a bigamous or polygamous wife. It leaves the conduct of 
the man toward her to be regulated by considerations which, outside of 
section 3, are not covered by the statute and which must be dealt with 
judicially, when properly presented." — 116 U. S. Reports, p. 80. 

However, in this case, there is a dissenting opinion, signed by 
Justices Miller and Field, who declare expressly that legal pre- 
cedents contain " no instance in which the word ' cohabitation ' 
had been used to describe a criminal offense where it did not 
imply sexual intercourse." 

The three cases of the United States vs. Lorenzo Snow contain 
further decisions upon the crime of " constructive cohabitation," 
which is made to consist in the mere act of introducing a polyg- 
amous wife as a wife, even without any further evidences of actual 
marital relations with her. Because of the fact that the defend- 
ant had a " legal wife" (first wife), although he had not lived 
with her for many years, his cohabitation with a plural wife was 
held to constitute the offense of " unlawful cohabitation with more 
than one woman," since the cohabitation with the " legal wife " 
(the term regularly used in these cases) was assumed conclusively 
to exist. Accordingly, by the principle of " segregation," then 
first introduced into criminal procedure, three separate instances 
of the offense alleged were erected into three separate crimes, call- 
ing for three separate indictments, tried in three separate cases 
(reported in 4 Utah, pp. 280-291, 295-312, 313-326), and each 
one requited by sentence to the extreme penalty of the law, six 
months' imprisonment and $300 fine. Such procedure, as is evi- 
dent, would involve in many cases that men would be imprisoned 
for life and fined to the full extent of their resources — even 
beyond — for several repetitions of the heinous offense of intro- 
ducing as his wife a woman, whom the law defines as no wife, to 
persons who perfectly understand his relations with her, also the 
legal limits set upon them. Whether or not, by an evident strain- 
ing of law and contempt of precedent, as defined by Justices Miller 
and Field in the Cannon case, such acts constitute any intelligible 
evidence of " criminal conversation " or " unlawful cohabitation," 
it is quite certain that they were not the order of offenses which 
the laws of Congress sought to terminate. These laws condemned 
specific acts and relations ; not opinions or statements. It is per- 
fectly established that the law cannot justly take cognizance of a 
man's feelings and convictions, so long as he does not carry them, 
into a forbidden line of action, or attempt to so carry them. 
While, also, by the principles of Common Law, the introduction 
of a woman as one's wife has been held to constitute a valid form 
of marriage, involving enforceable rights and prerogatives, it is 



358 THE REAL MORMONISM 

true, nevertheless, that such introduction of a woman, knowing 
her legal status in the premises, to persons also aware of that 
status, involves no enforceable rights whatsoever; since it is a 
mere form, whose legal significance is perfectly known to all 
parties. That a man, in such a transaction, is of the opinion that 
the woman is, morally or otherwise, entitled to be considered as 
his wife, or that the woman or other parties share such convic- 
tion, cannot be held to alter the legal status of the transaction. 
Properly speaking, its only valid legal significance would be as 
subsidiary evidence in an attempt to establish a suspicion or pre- 
sumption of relations between the two, which the law forbids. 
When considered as the principal evidence in the attempt to es- 
tablish " cohabitation " in any recognized sense, it cannot be denied 
that the mere alleged act of introducing a woman under the 
conditions mentioned is entirely inconclusive and incompetent to 
establish any allegation regarding their further relations " be- 
yond reasonable doubt." 

This very issue is raised in the appeal of the Lorenzo Snow 
cases to the Supreme Court of the United States. In the brief 
filed in the October term of 1885, it is claimed by the attorneys of 
the " plaintiff in error " that the Utah court had erred " in re- 
fusing instructions asked," as follows: 

" Fourth Request. ' The defendant, though living with one wife, 
could lawfully visit another and her children at reasonable times and 
on lawful purposes, and the purposes of inquiring concerning the 
health and welfare of such other wife and his children by her, of pro- 
viding for their support, and the education, employment, ?nd business 
of the children would be lawful. He is not required to break off 
friendly relations with any of his wives and may attend friendly 
or social or religious meetings at their houses.' 

"This request met every aspect of the evidence in the case and the 
defendant's claim of the purposes of his visits. If he can visit a plural 
wife at all, we submit that it should have been given. 

" No equivalent instruction was given, but the jury was instructed 
as follows, and the plaintiff in error excepted : 

" ' Of course the defendant might visit his children by the various 
women, he may make direction regarding their welfare, he may meet 
the women on terms of social equality, but if he associates with them 
as a husband with his wife he is guilty. The Edmunds law says there 
must be an end to the relationship previously existing between polyga- 
mists ; it says that relationship must cease.' 

" The Fourth Request asked the Court to say that the plaintiff in 
error might visit his wives. There is no answer to this request in the 
charge. The jury were told that he might visit the children but there 
was no charge of cohabiting with them. They were also told that he 
may ' meet the women on terms of social equality.' This implies noth- 
ing more than that both may be guests at a friend's house or may meet 
on the street or in any public place, and the term ' meet ' includes and 
would be understood to mean a casual meeting, and not an intentional 
smt, while the term visit would .mean An intentional .going to see the 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE * 359 

very person visited; and it was to this view that the request was di- 
rected. What language could be more misleading and delusive than 
the expression : ' If he associates with them as a husband with his 
wife he is guilty ' ? " 

Elsewhere in this same brief, the attorneys for the plaintiff in 
error, George Ticknor Curtis and Franklin S. Richards, claim 
error in the Utah Court's decisions, as follows : 

"The court charged as follows and the plaintiff in error excepted: 

" ' If the conduct of the defendant has been such as to lead to the 
belief that the parties were living as husband and wife live, then the 
defendant is guilty/ 

"The issue Was whether the plaintiff in error had in fact cohabited 
with more than one woman, and this fact was to be found beyond a rea- 
sonable doubt. The defendant asked the court to say to the jury that 
the parties must have lived together. The court says if the jury find 
that some one may have been led to that belief it is enough, but it does 
not say who is to be led to that belief. If it be interpreted to mean 
that the jury must be led to the belief, it is still erroneous and would 
mean 'if you find you are led to this belief by the evidence the de- 
fendant is guilty.' " 

Whatever may be one's prejudice against such an institution as 
polygamy, or against the people who have practiced it, it must 
seem ever a very nearly inexplicable fact that, in spite of constant 
and persistent effort on the part of able attorneys, several of 
them, like Judge Curtis, men of national reputation and standing, 
no authoritative construction could be obtained upon the term 
" cohabitation " that should precisely define the offense and put 
a stop to the miserable perversions of justice that were of daily 
occurrence in the Territory of Utah. It is remarkable, also, that, 
in the case of people so widely accused by venal politicians and 
other interested characters of contempt of law and essential 
viciousness, the searchers after infractions of a brand-new statute 
against an institution that had been virtually tolerated for over 
thirty years, should be obliged to indict men, because of verbal 
acknowledgments of their wives, because they dined with more 
than one of them, or because they had committed some other in- 
fraction of a precious fiction denominated " constructive cohabi- 
tation." The Mormons accused in these various proceedings 
asked merely for precise directions as to what they should do in 
regard to their plural wives, whether they should be allowed to 
retain them as " friends " and " acquaintances," or whether the 
law required that they cast them adrift, and, presumably, see to 
it that they did not drift back again. But to these questions 
the courts would vouchsafe no definitions whatever, and, as if the 
" crucify him " of the bigoted and disorderly elements could 
penetrate even to the shrine of justice, the people who professed 



3 6o THE REAL MORMONISM 

themselves as desirous of conforming to the law were still left at 
the mercy of legalistic fictions. 

These points are well enlarged upon in the argument of Judge 
Curtis before the Supreme Court of the United States on April 
28, 1886. Enlarging upon the fact that, in the cases brought be- 
fore that court on appeal, the evident sense of the proceedings 
in the lower courts was to punish a man for what he might have 
been assumed to think, or for what he was alleged to have said, 
regarding his relationship with given women, Curtis said: 

" The first proposition to which I have to ask your attention is 
stated on the 22d page of my brief. 

" The construction given by the court below to the third section of 
the act of March 22, 1882, and on which the plaintiff in error was thrice 
convicted, makes it violate the first amendment of the Constitution, be- 
cause it makes the statute punish the profession of a religious belief, 
when, under that construction, it is applied to the evidence in the three 
cases now before the Court. 

"In approaching the subject of religious liberty, there is of course 
a great deal of antecedent history to be taken into account. I do not 
propose to go over the whole of it, because most of us here are legal 
and historical scholars. You, Mr. Chief-Justice, in a recent case, Rey- 
nolds vs. United States, (98 U. S.,) had occasion to develop the sub- 
ject somewhat. It is necessary for me, on this occasion, to supplement 
what you then said by a little further development of the subject; and, 
moreover, it is necessary for me to show what was the religious perse- 
cution on which history had set the seal of its condemnation before our 
Constitution was made. In all the modern ages of the world in which 
religious persecution has been carried on by governments, or in the 
name of public authority, the whole essence of the atrocious wrong 
has been this — power has said to the weak : ' Renounce your religious 
opinions, recant your religious beliefs, or die, or go to prison.' . . . 
This is what I am to show will be said by this Edmunds act to the 
Mormons of Utah, if it is to be construed and applied by the territor- 
ial judges. . . . 

"The distinction between the case of Cannon vs. The United States 
(116 U. S., 55) and the three cases of Snow vs. The United States is 
broad and clear. 

"Treating the three present cases as one, for the purposes of the 
argument, because, with reference to the constitutional question, all 
the evidence that needs to be considered was the same in all of them, 
I shall contend that the evidence on which Snow was convicted under 
an erroneous construction of the statute makes the conviction and 
sentence violate the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the 1st 
amendment of the Constitution. 

" In Cannon's case unlawful cohabitation was held to consist in a 
man's living in the same house with two women, eating at their respec- 
tive tables one-third of the time or thereabouts, and holding them out 
to the world, by his language or conduct, or both, as his wives, without 
occupying the same bed with either of them, or sleeping in the same 
room, . . . with either of them. No constitutional question arose in that 
case because there was no language proved to have been used by Cannon, 
in speaking of either of the two women as his wife, which required to 
be put to the jury to find whether he used the term ' wife ' as indicating 
a spiritual and religious relation, or used it to signify a claim of right 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 361 

to continue a carnal relation with both of them notwithstanding the 
prohibition of the statute. But, in Snow's case, the only evidence of 
his language consisted in proof that he spoke of two women as his 
' wives,' under circumstances which called for a distinct instruction to 
the jury to find in what sense and with what intent he used that language. 
If he spoke of the women as his ' wives,' meaning that by the religious 
law of his church he was bound to them in a spiritual and religious tie 
that did not necessarily signify the enjoyment of a carnal relation, but 
was a mere expression of his religious belief, he could not be convicted 
of unlawful cohabitation by his language, or by the use of his language 
as part of the evidence of guilt, without violating his rights of con- 
science. On the other hand, if he spoke of the women as his ' wives,' 
in a sense of a claim of right to maintain a carnal relation with them, 
or to dwell with both of them, notwithstanding the prohibition of the 
statute, the evidence of his language might go to the jury, along with 
the other facts proved, without violating his religious freedom; and if 
the whole evidence, taken together, had a reasonable tendency to show 
unlawful cohabitation, under a proper definition of that offence, he 
could have been convicted without a violation of his religious freedom. 
The imperative necessity, therefore, for a careful instruction to the 
jury to find in what sense and with what intent he used the word 'wife/ 
or 'wives,' which instruction was not given, and was refused, is per- 
fectly apparent. 

"The sole proof of Mr. Snow's language consists in the fact that 
when under arrest, and in the marshal's office, he introduced Harriet 
and Sarah as his ' wives ' to Mr. Peery, an acquaintance of his and a 
brother Mormon, just previous to the examination before the U. S. 
commissioner. His words were : ' Mr. Peery, or Brother Peery, this 
is my wife Harriet; Mr. Peery, or Brother Peery, this is my wife 
Sarah.' (Testimony of Franklin N. Snow, record in case No. 1278, 
p. 16.) 

"The whole evidence, taken together, consisted of the word 'wives/ 
as used by Mr. Snow, and the proof of his visits to the houses inhabited 
by some of them, besides Minnie, with whom he dwelt exclusively in 
a house which she and her children alone inhabited. 

" In the case first tried, (Record 1278,) the conviction rested on this 
evidence, as applied to the case of Sarah, who was held by the appellate 
court to be the lawful wife. Cohabitation with her was held by the 
Chief- Justice of the court below, in his opinion, to be established by 
a presumption of matrimonial cohabitation, and by inference from the 
facts. As cohabitation in every sense with Minnie was admitted by the 
defendant, the general verdict of 'guilty as charged in the indictment' 
fixes the unlawful cohabitation in this case as cohabitation with Sarah 
and Minnie. In this all the judges below concurred. 

"This covered the period from January 1, 1885, to December 1, 1885 
— eleven months. There was evidence in this very case which should 
have admonished the trial judge of the nature of the relation of 
husband and wife claimed by these persons. 

"All this evidence gave to the trial judge the most pointed notice that 
here he was dealing with the term ' wife ' or ' wives/ in a sense that 
might, when spoken by Mr. Snow, comprehend nothing but a religious 
doctrine and a religious belief. 



362 THE REAL MORMONISM 

" The next case tried was that in Record 1279, the indictment covering 
the whole of the year 1884. 

" Here the conviction rested on cohabitation with Adeline and Minnie. 

"Here Adeline is taken as the lawful wife, and Minnie as the un- 
lawful wife, in 1884, whereas Sarah was held to have been the lawful 
wife in the first trial, which related to eleven months of 1885. 

"But there is another aspect of his conduct. Standing here, as I 
do, on his absolute constitutional right to the free exercise of his 
religion, I ask you to see that his conduct consists of — 

" 1. A declaration, in which he used the word ' wife,' in speaking 
of Harriet and Sarah. He could have meant nothing but the spiritual 
and religious relation. 

"2. Association and acts of a kind that could not have been dictated 
by anything but a religious obligation and duty. 

" These acts were every one innocent and meritorious. 

"They were not done in the assertion of any right of cohabitation. 

"He had a perfect right to do them. 

"They have not the smallest tendency to prove cohabitation. 

"There was no cohabitation with either Sarah or Adeline. 

" It is only by strained, distorted, and artificial construction of this 
word * cohabitation,' that these acts can be preached and condemned. 

"What were they? 

"Visiting at rare intervals. 

" Supporting. 

"Driving out in a carriage with one or more of them. 

"Attention to a sick child. 

"A festivity on his birthday in the place of their public worship. 

"What 'flaunting in the face of the world of the ostentation and 
opportunities of a bigamous household' is there here? 

" What did your honors mean by that language ? 

" Does it apply to these acts ? 

"What is a bigamous household? 

"Do you mean that there is a household where the parties do not 
live in the same house? 

" Do you mean that there is a household when they live one, five, ten 
miles apart? 

" Remember, I pray you, that here, in one case, Sarah lives in one 
house and Minnie in another. That in another case Adeline lives in 
one house and Minnie in another ; and the proof is incontrovertible that 
he never was seen in company with Adeline anywhere during the time 
covered by the indictment, and that he dwelt exclusively with Minnie. 

" He had duties to discharge toward these women. 

"These duties are natural; they spring from the law of nature. 

"They are of moral obligation. 

"They are of sacred obligation. 

" They are duties, which, when we consider how and when they were 
assumed, and how they have become woven into the texture of his life, 
it would be barbaric to punish. 

"The law says what? That he shall not 'cohabit' with more than 
one of them. 

" Is that word to receive an interpretation that will require him to 
renounce every duty, to dishonor the dead, and agonize the living, and 
bring shame upon himself ? 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 363 

"Is it to receive an interpretation without any reference to the ob- 
ligations or restraints resting on the sovereignty which enacted the 
law? 

" Is it to be made to mean a constructive dwelling together, when 
there has been nothing but the discharge of duties of the highest ob- 
ligation ? 

"This constructive cohabitation makes this single word the most 
elastic that was ever put into a statute. 

"There is nothing that it will not reach. Let me enumerate. 

" 1. Cohabitation (with marital relations). This is of course within 
the statute. 

"2. Cohabitation by dwelling under the same roof (without marital 
relations). That was Cannon's case. Now we come to the dividing 
line. 

" 3. Cohabitation by dwelling under different roofs, but occasionally 
seeing each other (and without marital relations). 

"4. Cohabitation by dwelling in different towns, but writing to each 
other, sending supplies, delicacies, medicines, etc., in case of sickness. 

" 5. Cohabitation by living in different countries, but corresponding 
and speaking of each other as husband and wife. 

"6. Cohabitation by acts of kindness and attention during a series 
of years, afthough not dwelling together; and then when the death-bed 
scene comes, and the husband stands there for a last farewell, and when 
all is over for this life, he follows her remains to the grave, and writes 
on the gravestone, Harriet, wife of Lorenzo Snow — that, too, is un- 
lawful ' cohabitation ' ! 

"Now I must ask your honors' attention to the language of Judge 
Boreman, on page 25. This is what that judge says on the subject of 
polygamy in a written judicial opinion: 

" ' In the case under consideration we find a state of affairs which, 
by the facts developed in this class of cases, is coming to be well known 
to have a common existence in this Territory. The wife of a man's 
youth, and all the other women with whom he has lived as husband 
more or less of the time, and who have reared children to him, are, as 
they grow old, pushed off to lead a more lonely life, and the principal 
attention of the man is given to the youngest and most favored of his 
women. It is the natural result of a system founded on sensualism, and 
is the same here as in every other country where polygamy or any other 
system exists to shield the lust of men.' 

"Oh, rare judicial consistency! These unfortunate Mormons are 
first charged with neglecting their elder wives, and pushing them off 
to lead lonely lives, and then such kindness and attention as they do 
show is used to convict them of unlawful cohabitation, by the aid of 
a legal presumption that they cohabit with the older ones, notwith- 
standing they have pushed them off ! Can judicial folly go further than 
this? 

" Now let us see. It is simply impossible for the Court, in the cases 
before it, with the persons who assumed these relations under such 
circumstances (under religious sanction, and with a sense of religious 
duty), not to give any consideration to the public equities. If I am 
asked what the bearing of these facts and public equities should be in 
a court, I answer that they call for a construction of this one word 
* cohabitation/ that will confine its meaning and operation so as not 
to require these men to renounce every possible duty to these women and 



364 THE REAL MORMONISM 

force them to turn them and their children adrift upon the world. It 
is impossible for this Court not to give any consideration to the public 
equities, in construing and applying this statute to the cases before it, 
of persons who assumed their relations to each other under at least a 
tacit permission of the people and Government of the United States. 

"I do not ask you to go forward and give constructions and make 
provision for future cases. / ask you to take this case, and upon its 
plain facts to give a ruling and decision that will shut out these con- 
structive ' cohabitations.' 

" These people are a loyal and a law-abiding people. They have a 
code of political ethics, accepted as part of their religious creed. I 
have studied it. There is no better code of political morals for the 
ground that it covers, ever formulated by a human pen, that has fallen 
under my observation, and I have been somewhat of a student of that 
kind of literature. If your honors care to read it, you will find it in 
their book of Doctrine and Covenants. 

" I here leave this case in your hands. But I cannot leave it without 
saying that the zealots who push this criminal law beyond the barriers 
of the Constitution are not the first, and perhaps they will not be the 
last, to seek to extend the kingdom of Christ by persecution, and to 
propagate a religion of love by the gospel of hate. 

"Nor can I leave it without taking shame to myself that I have for 
so many years lived in ignorance of the condition of things in that 
devoted Territory. I have spent, on mere pecuniary interests, on lower 
politics, in the delight of letters and the pleasures of life, precious time 
that ought to have been given to the oppressed. If now my example, 
tardy as it is and feeble as it is, shall do something to arouse younger 
and more important men to a sense of their duty on this great problem, 
I shall have the consolation that I have done something to atone for 
my share in whatever blame rests upon this nation." — Pleas for Religious 
Liberty and the Rights of Conscience {Pamphlet, Arguments before the 
U. S. Supreme Court, 1886), pp. 4-5, 8-10, 16-17, 18-20, 21-22, 40-42. 

The quotation from Judge Boreman reveals the kind of thing 
then allowed by governmental negligence in the Territories. Bore- 
man, as will be remembered, was the author of the prejudiced 
and intemperate harangue before an anti-polygamy society in Salt 
Lake City, on the evening of February 27, 1882, which has been 
quoted in part in a previous chapter of the present volume. It 
would seem almost a miscarriage of justice that a man. who could 
speak in the manner that he did on that occasion should be allowed 
to sit as judge in such cases as those against Lorenzo Snow. 
Nor does one need an exhaustive acquaintance with legal prin- 
ciples and precedents to understand that the construction placed 
on the term " cohabitation " in the cases tried before him and 
other judges in Utah, was, as Judge Curtis claimed, both strained 
and unwarranted, and as the minority opinion of the Supreme 
Court held in the Cannon case, devoid of authority in precedent. 
The action of Boreman and others was, in fact, but a repetition 
of the illegal methods of the notorious Judge McKean, who, in 
the prosecution of a " moral crusade," indicted Brigham Young 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 365 

for unlawful cohabitation, and then allowed a woman represented 
to be one of his " wives " to sue him for divorce, with heavy 
judgment for " alimony," a proceeding sufficiently illegal and pre- 
posterous to lead to his removal. It must have seemed no more 
than reasonable, therefore, that a construction should be given 
to terms used in a statute, in order that obvious injustice might 
be avoided, and judge-orators restrained in their enthusiasm for 
preconceived opinions on matters in litigation. This, however, 
for some mysterious reason, the Supreme Court refused to give. 
In its decision on the Cannon case, as already seen, it stated that 
such matters " must be dealt with judicially, when properly pre- 
sented." In the cases of Lorenzo Snow, in which, evidently, dis- 
tinct issues were " properly presented," the court decided on its 
own. motion that it had no jurisdiction in the premises, and dis- 
missed the writs of error. 

As a consequence of this act of the Court, Mr. Snow was 
denied relief on his pleas, and after serving his first term of six 
months, and paying the fine imposed in the first case tried, he 
applied to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Utah for a 
writ of habeas corpus. This writ was refused by the territorial 
court, but was granted by Justice Miller of the Supreme Court 
of the United States, on the decision then rendered that as un- 
lawful cohabitation is a " continuous offense," the grand jury 
could find only one indictment, and the court impose only one 
sentence. (See 120 U. S., pp. 274-287.) This latter decision 
was a sad blow to the wanton injustice of fanatical judges, and 
put an effectual stop to one of the most high-handed methods of 
judicial oppression known in the history of the United States. 
The zealous ingenuity of the advocates of " true religion and 
undefiled," however, was equal to the situation, and although 
deprived of the valuable weapon of " segregation " of offenses 
within what had been repeatedly called a " continuous crime," 
the best available substitute was found in the practice of finding 
indictments for two separate offenses in the same set of facts, 
and consisting in the same essential acts. Thus, on September 
27, 1888, a certain Hans Nielson was indicted for unlawful co- 
habitation, under Section 3 of the Edmunds Law of 1882, and 
on the same day by the same jury, of adultery, under Section 3 
of the Act of March 3, 1887, otherwise known as the Edmunds- 
Tucker Act, the same period being covered in both cases. After 
serving a sentence of three months for the first named offense, 
and paying a fine of $100 and costs, he was placed on trial a 
second time under the second indictment, and, in spite of pleas 
of former conviction, and the claim that the same acts were 
essential to both indictments, he was sentenced to 125 days in the 



366 THE REAL MORMONISM 

penitentiary. On appeal to the Supreme Court of the United 
States on a writ of habeas corpus, the second indictment was 
declared illegal, on the ground that its essential charges were 
included in the first. (See 131 U. S., pp. 176-191.) That the 
illegality of this proceeding would have been recognized under 
any circumstances, other than those existing in Utah at the time, 
and that without the assistance of the United States Supreme 
Court, need not be argued. 

In answer, perhaps, to the repeated efforts of attorneys to 
obtain authoritative constructions on the terms above noted, the 
Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887 changed the section on unlawful 
cohabitation — " if any male person . . . hereafter cohabits with 
more than one woman, he shall be deemed guilty of a misde- 
meanor" — to a prohibition of adultery. This, however, did 
not stop prosecutions under the old section, nor afford the asked- 
for definitions. Perversions of law were still continued, under 
the representation that, in no other manner could the guilty be 
reached and punished ; since, as the Mormons " always stand 
together," there was no certainty that false testimony was not 
given to the courts. It would seem, however, that the majority 
of these people made an honest effort to live within the law, and 
that those who were the most anxious, oftentimes, were the very 
ones who were punished with the greatest severity. In the mean- 
time, however, whether obedient or disobedient, the people were 
constantly under suspicion, owing to the monstrous lies con- 
stantly circulated about their social and domestic affairs, and 
always without attempts to verify them, or to discover the real 
basis of fact, if any. Nor can we doubt that the real objects in 
the minds of the originators of these falsehoods are set forth in 
previously-made quotations from Judge Jeremiah S. Black, and 
from passages from the Salt Lake Tribune of the period. As 
stated by a historian of the territory and state of Utah, the fol- 
lowing conditions existed at this juncture: 

" The Edmunds Act, of March 22, 1882, was a disappointment to those 
who had taken upon themselves ' a mission for the social and political 
regeneration of Utah.' That law was not far-reaching enough to 
satisfy an element which, not content that pains and penalties should be 
visited upon the polygamous minority among the Mormons, desired 
something that would effect the destruction or emasculation of the 
entire Mormon system. 'We care nothing for your polygamy/ the 
Gentiles were wont to say in private, to individual Mormons. ' It's a 
good war-cry and serves our purpose by enlisting sympathy for our 
cause; but it's a mere bagatelle compared with other issues in the ir- 
repressible conflict between our parties. What we most object to is 
your unity; your political and commercial solidarity; the obedience you 
render to your spiritual leaders in temporal affairs. We want you to 
throw off the yoke of the Priesthood, to do as we do, and be Americans 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 367 

in deed as well as name.' " — Orson F. Whitney, History of Utah, Vol. 

III., PP. 547-543. 

Accordingly, by the persistent repetition of this " good war- 
cry," Congress was constantly at work on some remodeling of 
the anti-polygamy statutes, and a great amount of oratory and 
debate was launched on both sides of the controversy. Finally, 
however, in spite of the strenuous stand for legal principles and 
human rights made by several senators, the crowning effort was 
completed, the notorious Edmunds-Tucker Act of February 15, 
1887. This act was most inclusive, although nine out of its 
twenty-seven sections dealt with the marriage relation, its con- 
ditions, violations and limitations, and with offenses usually 
classed as " immoral." The following is a brief analysis : 

Sec. 1. Making a legal husband or wife a competent witness in 
prosecutions for bigamy, etc., although not compelling such to testify 
without the permission of the other. 

Sec. 2. Making it lawful to issue attachment for any witness in a 
trial for bigamy, etc., without issuance of previous subpoena. 

Sees. 3 to 6. Defining penalties for adultery, incest, fornication, etc., 
and procedure in prosecution. 

Sees. 7 and 8. Defining the duties and powers of U. S. commissioners 
and marshals, both exceptional. 

See. 9. Of marriage ceremonies, certificates, etc. 

Sec. 10. Of the proof of marriage. 

Sec. 11. Declaring " illegitimate children " incapable of sharing in the 
inheritance of their father's property. 

Sec. 12. Limiting the jurisdiction of the probate courts to matters 
connected with the estates of deceased persons and guardianship. (In 
the unsettled condition of the territory, these courts had often had a 
wider authority.) 

Sec. 13. Appropriating all property escheated by the act of 1882 to the 
benefit of the common schools. 

Sec. 14. Compelling all corporations and associations declared in viola- 
tion of law to produce all books, records, etc., at the command of the 
courts. 

Sees. 15-16. Decreeing the dissolution of the Perpetual Immigration 
Fund Company, and declaring its property escheated to the United 
States, to be expended for the benefit of the common schools of the 
territory. 

Sec. 17. Decreeing the dissolution of the Corporation of the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, " in so far as it may now have, or 
pretend to have, any legal existence." (This was the provision for which 
the entire bill was enacted, but its relevance to the suppression of 
polygamy, or any other offense against the laws of the nation, is not 
perfectly apparent.) 

Sec. 18. Defining a widow's right of dower. 

Sec. 19. Providing that probate judges shall be appointed by the presi- 
dent. 

Sec. 20. Abolishing female suffrage, which had been established in 
1872, in the hope that it would act to terminate polygamy. 

Sec. 21. Abolishing the secret ballot. 

Sec. 22. Providing to re-district the territory. 



368 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Sec. 23. Providing to continue the Utah commission. 

Sec. 24. Prescribing a test oath for all citizens, qualifying to vote, 
declaring that they will support the laws of the United States, par- 
ticularly those forbidding polygamy, etc. 

Sec. 25. Appointing a commissioner of schools, who should have power 
"to prohibit the use in any district school of any book of sectarian 
character or otherwise unsuitable." 

Sec. 26. Enacting that churches may hold real property. 

Sec. 27. Providing to reorganize the militia of the territory, but 
especially to declare annulled and of no effect the laws establishing the 
Nauvoo Legion. 

This bill was vigorously attacked in both houses of Congress, 
but was passed by a safe majority, showing eminently well that 
wanton agitation had inflamed the credulous and bigoted ele- 
ments among the people to such an extent that even its out- 
rageous provisions were acceptable. It is well, however, to 
notice the kind of criticisms made upon it by the qualified law- 
makers of the nation. Thus, on February 18th, Senator Vest 
spoke in part as follows : 

" As a matter of course this bill will become a law, but I cannot vote 
for it. I am well aware what the public sentiment of the country is, 
but that makes no sort of impression on me, with my convictions as a 
legislator, nor will any amount of criticism on my action. I cannot 
vote for this bill because in my judgment it violates the fundamental 
principles of the Constitution of the United States. ... It is naked, 
simple, bold confiscation and nothing else. . . . The whole spirit of this 
test-oath legislation is wrong; it is contrary to the principles and spirit 
of our republican institutions ; and whenever the time comes in the 
Territories or States of this Union that test-oaths are necessary to 
preserve republican institutions, then republicanism is at an end." 

The eleventh section of the bill, that relating to the incom- 
petence of " illegitimate children " — meaning children born in 
polygamy — to inherit from their parents* estates, although dis- 
tinctly specifying that its provisions did not apply to any chil- 
dren born within twelve months after the enactment of the bill, 
evoked the displeasure of Senator Wilkinson Call of Florida, who 
spoke as follows: 

" What Christianity, what civilization, can justify this harsh and cruel 
provision? What has the poor child done that the Senator from Ver- 
mont should deprive it of subsistence, of the means of going through 
the world with credit to himself or herself? Why should it be per- 
secuted with the terrors of this law, because the father and mother 
believed improperly; believed, if you please, barbarously, that a certain 
form of relation between the sexes was legitimate and of divine permis- 
sion; believed a doctrine, if you please, pernicious to society, that by 
proper means, by free discussion, by moral suasion of the religion of 
Christ, should be eradicated and exterminated? What if they did, shall 
the poor child be the victim ? 

" Mr. President, the Spanish Inquisition . . . was^ not more cruel . . . 
than this provision of the bill, taking the poor illegitimate children whom 
Almighty God has permitted to come into the world, in fault, if you 



HOW JUSTICE WAS DONE 369 

please, of their ancestors, but without fault of themselves, and branding 
them and depriving them of all subsistence and help and comfort. 

" What should the father of an illegitimate child do in the theory of 
this bill? Abandon his offspring, and commit a thousand times fouler 
crime by abandoning his parental feelings, and leaving the offspring 
that he has begotten to starvation and misery; this is the wicked and 
cruel command of this bill; this is the morality it enjoins. Let the 
child born of innocent purposes, and under a form of religious belief, 
be an outcast from human sympathy, because we deny the right of the 
Divine Ruler of the Universe to establish an order of nature, which 
allows children to enter the world otherwise than as we think proper, 
and, notwithstanding the fault of their parents, endows them with the 
faculties which command success. 

" The Divine Law-giver said ' Let little children come unto me,' and 
He blessed them, and His followers have established charities for them, 
and even the ' foundlings ' have their guardians and their friends in the 
gentle hearts of Christian men and women. But the insane fanaticism 
of this bill seeks to place a curse and a stigma on them, and deprive 
them of their natural protectors, and of natural love and affection. 

"Sir, the bill is barbarous and inhuman in every light. Be as strong 
anti-polygamist as you please, you can not be a follower of the divine 
religion of Christ and maintain a doctrine, a principle, a provision of 
law, that has this effect. It is an insult to Christ's precepts and religion, 
and a deadly assault on all the beautiful charities and humanities that 
have grown up under it. As false to human nature and the conditions 
of life, as it is to the divine economy that governs the world." 



CHAPTER XXV 

A SHELTER FOR THE " ERRING AND OPPRESSED" 

Unfortunately no comments by a " Christian wife and 
mother/' such as heard and reported on the mass meeting of 
Mormon women in Salt Lake City, were ever published on the 
utterances of United States senators on the provisions of the 
several anti-polygamy bills bearing the family name of Ed- 
munds. The public cannot judge, therefore, whether the ex- 
pressions used in the Senate were distinctly " disloyal " and 
" treasonable," or not. As a matter of fact, the denunciations 
of the Senators were much more impassioned and severe than 
anything heard at the meeting of the women, so widely com- 
mented on by bigoted critics. Nor, in either case was there a 
word that could justly be condemned as " treasonable " or " dis- 
loyal." 

Many supposedly well-meaning people at this time seem to 
have been, as at present, readily victimized by habitual purvey- 
ors of absurd falsehoods. Thus, Mrs. Newman, who had come, 
apparently, from Lincoln, Nebraska, to help the people of Utah, 
addressed several memorials to Congress, embodying sad tales of 
misery, degradation and neglect. Among these, she stated, on 
the professed authority of a certain unnamed " lady missionary," 
horrible conditions alleged to exist in the Utah penitentiary. 
The report states : 

"I found in one cell, 10 x 1354, without a floor, six women, three 
of whom had babies under six months of age, who were incarcerated 
for contempt of court in refusing to acknowledge the paternity of their 
children. When I plead with them to answer the court and be released, 
they said, ' If we do, there are many wives and children to suffer the 
loss of a father.' 

" In another cell were two girls, one fourteen, one sixteen, each 
married to her own father, both with babes." 

On the publication of these statements, which were sent forth 
to help prejudice the mind of the public against Mormonism — - 
particularly the monstrous story about two young girls married 
to their own fathers, a thing as utterly foreign to the teachings 
and practices of Mormonism as to those of any other civilized 
society — investigations were at once started by several persons. 

370 






A SHELTER FOR THE "ERRING" 37* 

Thus was elicited from U. S. Marshal Frank H. Dyer, then in 
charge of the Penitentiary, the following statement: 

" With regard to there being seven women confined in the penitentiary 
at that time, I desire to say that it is correct. Two were being held 
for contempt of court in refusing to answer certain questions put to 
them by the court touching their polygamous marriage relations; one, 
[name here given omitted], twenty-three years of age, with babe, on 
the charge of fornication; another for robbery, another for selling 
liquor without a license, and two for adultery. The statement as to 
the size of the room, in which these persons are kept, is about correct, 
being so small as for it to be almost inhuman to keep female prisoners 
in such a place ; but it is the only place we have for the purpose. There 
is a floor in it, however, which is always kept neat and clean. 

" The last item to which you call my attention is this : * In another 
cell were two girls, one fourteen and one sixteen, who were married to 
their own father, both with babes.' This is wholly incorrect, and I 
cannot understand how anybody could have been so misled. Somebody 
must have made malicious misrepresentations to Mrs. Newman on this 
subject, as we have never had any girls of this age confined in the 
penitentiary since I have been marshal. 

"These facts are taken from the records at the penitentiary and I 
personally know them to be correct." — From letter addressed to H. N. 
Clawson, under date, October 9, 1888. 

The false stories eagerly accepted by Mrs. Newman and other 
agitators, utterly without attempts at verification, as seems clear, 
were used as " exhibits " in the movement to persuade Congress 
to appropriate sufficient funds to enable the erection and main- 
tenance of a " Christian home " in Salt Lake City, especially 
for the dependent and indigent women and children, victims of 
polygamy. So strongly was the need of such an institution 
urged upon Congress that $40,000 were appropriated, and the 
" noble work " begun. In the meantime, however, protests 
against the need of such a home were made by some of the very 
persons supposed to be among the prospective beneficiaries. 
Thus, Mrs. Emmeline B. Wells and three other Mormon women 
vigorously protested, in part, as follows: 

"As we are the representatives of the Mormon women, we do, in 
their name, most emphatically protest against any such pretext being 
used for obtaining a share of the public funds. No Mormon woman, 
old or young, is compelled to marry at all; still less to enter into 
polygamy. . . . 

"Mrs. Newman has no right to insult the noble band of Mormon 
matrons and maidens by asking public alms for their benefit, while she 
is industriously circulating the malignant falsehoods by which bitter 
prejudice has already been created against them and their religion. 

" We most positively assert that there is not a Mormon wife, whether 
plural or otherwise, who would accept charity at the hands of those who 
have procured, and are still demanding the passage of, laws whose en- 
forcement has brought sorrow and desolation into their once happy 
homes." 

This protest is incorporated, with other historical material, in 



37 2 THE REAL MORMONISM 

the annual reports of the " home," together with Mrs. Newman's 
" stinging reply " : 

"The appropriation is not asked for in behalf of the aristocracy of 
the Mormon Church, whose very luxury is the holocaust of ' others' 
woes/ These women by their treasonable political attitude, and their 
avowed hostility to Christian marriage, have cut the cords which bind 
them to the world's heart. The ' insult ' should not be misappropriated." 
— The Industrial Christian Home Association, of Utah. {Report, 1893) 
P. 15. 

However, on Mrs. Newman's return to the scene of her chosen 
labors for humanity, a reception was tendered her, at which 
Governor Caleb W. West made a speech, lauding her labors and 
congratulating her on the results, as follows : 

"The laws of the country will and must be enforced, but the en- 
forcement of the laws always brings suffering to the innocent wives 
and children of the offenders. Nothing so appeals to the human heart 
as a suffering woman or a suffering child. We recognize the situation 
and we appreciate the noble efforts of her who has striven to alleviate 
the suffering of the women and children of Utah, who are left upon 
the cold charity of the world by the enforcement of these laws, and for 
such there should be a wide, great home in which they could be taught the 
branches of education and industry, that they may enjoy the comforts 
of life. That object will receive the approval of the One who set the 
great example in all such work, the Great Lord of the Universe, who 
became a man that He might visit the lowly; that He might comfort 
the distressed ; that He might help the helpless ; and it seems to me that 
this noble lady must have found the greatest joy and comfort in this 
thought, that she was following in the footsteps of our Savior. It 
is wonderful, indeed, that this lady could do so much alone; but yet 
not alone, because she had the presence of the One who inspired her to 
the sacrifice she was making; she had back of her here in Utah the 
prayers of all the helpless women and innocent children; and, with 
resolute purpose and strong arm, she pushed forward and has returned 
more than victorious; and the highest compliment that can be paid 
her is, that the Christian people, by their prayers and efforts and labors, 
shall, when the institution is completed, try to find an inmate for it — 
some poor woman or suffering child." — Ibid, p. 15. 

There is no need to criticize the motives back of the " Chris- 
tian home," or enlarge upon the futility of the entire enterprise. 
Under the then existing conditions, when by judicial persecutions 
the Federal Government had broken up many family connec- 
tions, and, presumably, thrown many women and children upon 
their own resources, the establishment of some sort of refuge 
for the helpless among such would seem to have been no more 
than a just atterript to right wrongs and compensate for injuries 
done, although such injuries may have been " necessary." The 
entire trouble with the project from the start was that it was 
based upon deliberate misrepresentations by some one or other 
— such person or persons being usually quoted anonymously — 
of the social and moral conditions in the territory of Utah, and 



A SHELTER FOR THE " ERRING " 373 

was carried to completion in a spirit of utter ignorance of the 
genius and character of Mormonism. As was remarked by Hon. 
John T. Caine, Utah delegate in Congress, during the discussion 
of the proposition: 

"An 'industrial home' which would confine itself to instructing 
women and children in the arts of refined domestic pursuits, while 
affording them maintenance, would indeed be a great boon to any people. 
But when a charity is coupled with the condition that it is attainable 
only by abandoning their faith, ' the better element of Mormon society ' 
will indeed spurn it. So far as 'the pauper element' is concerned, 
Mormonism eradicates rather than produces it. It is no idle boast of 
ours that in exclusively Mormon communities there are no alms houses 
and no need of them. But we have the poor, the sick, the needy who 
require, and not in vain, at our hands, relief. ' The poor ye always 
have with ye/ said our Savior. Charity no Mormon believes a thing to 
be spurned. They know that ' to give is better than to receive, 5 but they 
know, also, that ' to receive ' is often a necessity." 

In anticipation, doubtless, of doing a great work in the relief 
of the hypothetical " distressed victims of polygamy," an impos- 
ing building was erected in Salt Lake City, containing a total of 
60 finished living rooms, 43 of which were sleeping rooms, with 
space for about a dozen more in the unfinished portions of the 
third story and in the attic. Such provisions must seem to have 
been wholly inadequate to accommodate the " hundreds of cases 
of distress " supposedly existing in Utah. But very few, if any, 
of the class for whom the home was erected ever applied for 
relief. Mormon writers assert that no Mormon women in good 
standing were ever sheltered there. Thus: 

"The 'home' was opened November 27, 1886, in rented quarters, but 
in June, 1889, moved into a new building of its own, erected at Salt 
Lake City with additional means provided by Congress. Its object, as 
stated by Congressmen, was to provide homes and employment for 
'homeless and destitute' polygamous wives and their children. The 
project was a complete and costly failure; there being no 'homeless and 
destitute ' characters of that kind for the Government to support. The 
new building was finally converted into offices for the Utah Commission, 
etc. The main promoter of the Industrial home was Mrs. Angie F. 
Newman, who denied, to the writer, that the main object of its establish- 
ment was the one above mentioned." — Orson F. Whitney, History of 
Utah, Vol. Ill, pp. 550-551 note. 

Although as Mrs. Newman represented to Bishop Whitney, 
and as the managers of the home repeatedly suggested, the 
"original object" was to provide relief for all distressed women 
and children of worthy character in the territory, a " strict con- 
struction of the law " was made, confining its activities solely to 
the relief of " victims of polygamy." Thus : 

" To provide employment and means of self-support for the dependent 
women who^ renounce polygamy, and the children of such women, of 
tender age, in said Territory, with a view to aid in the suppression of 



374 THE REAL MORMONISM 

polygamy therein." — Quoted from Act of Congress and circulated in 
Utah. 

Nevertheless, under date December, 1886, the Board of Con- 
trol of the home, headed by Governor West, issued a letter, from 
which the following passages are quoted: 

"A permanently established Industrial Home is now prepared to 
receive such occupants as conform to the provisions of the act, and who 
may have been left destitute by abandonment or neglect, or by the 
results of the enforcement of the United States Law against the criminal 
practices peculiar to this Territory. 

" It is the sceptre of justice in one hand and the olive branch of 
mercy in the other, extended in sympathy and tenderness to the suffer- 
ing, to the erring, and to the repentant. 

"The prayers and supplications of forsaken women for themselves 
and their children are now abundantly answered. 

" An American Christian Home, under the care and supervision of 
Christian women, and the fostering support of the United States gov- 
ernment, through its official Board of Control, opens its doors and 
welcomes under its roof all who may worthily seek this refuge. 

" Encouragement, hope, sympathy, instruction and love extend their 
arms to welcome you and provide for you! 

" The wife, deceived, not honored, disowned, neglected, for herself and 
her little children, may here rind comforting strength and a new blessed- 
ness opening out before her, care and instruction leading them to suc- 
cessive steps to a way of usefulness and a self-reliant support." — In- 
dustrial Christian Home Association {Pamphlet), p. 17. 

At the end of the first year, according to the figures published 
in the above-mentioned pamphlet, a total of 154 women and chil- 
dren had applied for relief at the home, and of these only 33 
could be received " under the letter of the law." Of this total 
of 33 eligibles, as given at another place, 11 were women, 15 
boys and 7 girls; 12 of the children being " of tender age." In 
spite of this meagre showing, however, the report states that in 
the first ten months of operation the inmates had made, in the 
sewing room, 415 articles; mended 259 articles; darned 310 pairs 
of stockings; and "cut and fitted " 159 garments, giving a total 
of 1,143 pieces of work done in the sewing room. These darn- 
ings, mendings, cuttings and fittings, together with other work 
about the place, netted the inmates a grand total of $212.82 " for 
their own benefit " in the same period, or about $19.35 P er adult 
inmate. Nor was there ever a greater number of inmates in 
the home, according to the reports of the president. 

The defective success of the institution, due, undoubtedly, to 
the fact that its object was to relieve a class that either did not 
need, or would not accept, such relief, was attributed by the man- 
agers, in part, to the " direct vilification of the management by 
Mormons to inmates and through the public press." Neverthe- 
less, deploring the fact that the original "broad plan" of the 
institution had been "narrowed," the president, Mrs. J. H. 



A SHELTER FOR THE " ERRING" 375 

Ferry, remarks, " It is a pain to send from these open doors a 
needy woman or a motherless boy because such applicant is not a 
Mormon." (Ibid. p. 78.) She also urged constantly that the 
scope of the institution be broadened, so as to accept other 
classes, such as " legal wives," who, as she still seemed to sup- 
pose, would eagerly avail themselves of the proffered shelter. 

In spite of the few inmates, who rightfully, or not, had ob- 
tained admission, under the " strict construction of the law," 
there were numerous applicants at all times, very many of them 
of the same class, apparently, as the ladies found by Mrs. New- 
man's anonymous female missionary, "in one cell, . . . without 
a floor." In spite of the fervid rhetoric of his public utterances, 
Governor West seems to have been unwilling to extend assistance 
to most of these persons " without visible means of support." 
Some such cases are mentioned in the pamphlet above quoted as 
competent to " uphold those favorable to a liberal construction 
of the statute with a view to its usefulness." Thus : 

"Mrs. David May; five children: Mr. May was employed in the silk 
factories of Glasgow, Scotland ; was induced by missionaries of the Lat- 
ter Day to come to Zion ; arriving in Salt Lake, found things at variance 
with the representations which had been made by the missionaries; was 
urged to go into polygamy; then resolved to leave the Territory. 

"The wife secured employment at the Continental hotel, Salt Lake 
City; husband started east on foot by the Denver and Rio Grande 
railway ; the wife's health failed ; took her five children and went to 
Provo for lighter work; found none; applied to the Mormon Church 
for help; was refused; appealed to Judge Henderson, exclaiming; 
'Must I starve, and my little ones, in this land of liberty?' Judge 
Henderson attempted to find the bishop of Provo; the bishop took the 
under-ground, lest the woman had given information concerning his 
plural relations; Judge Henderson then made application to the In- 
dustrial Home for the woman and her five children; case rejected by 
Governor West." — Pamphlet, pp. 19-20. 

This case, possibly a real example of distress, due to simple 
abandonment, which is no exclusive specialty of Mormons, is 
here elaborated and exaggerated, as is perfectly evident, in order 
to create further feeling against the Mormons and their institu- 
tions. That a man, so indigent as to be obliged to walk east on 
the railway tracks should be " urged to go into polygamy " by 
people who already had their own troubles on this score, or that 
the " Bishop of Provo " should " take the underground," fearing 
" lest the woman had given information," etc., are evident addi- 
tions made for the purpose of qualifying this unfortunate woman 
to appear as a " victim of polygamy." Why must benevolently- 
minded people be ever thus credulous? 

Another " sad case " was that of two girls, then in the hands 

of a lady Presbyterian school teacher, who is quoted as writing: 

"I sent Emma away with the weight of her soul resting upon me, 



376 THE REAL MORMONISM 

but I could not keep her longer; I still Have the sister; the mother of 
these girls was left an orphan in her infancy; was brought up by the 
bishop, a polygamist, who made her marry a sixty-year-old polygamist 
when she was twelve years old; she now has four husbands." — Ibid. p. 
20. 

This case also was rejected by Governor West, who, adhering 
to the " strict construction of the law," doubtless saw that these 
girls were the victims of " polyandry," rather than of " polyg- 
amy," and probably disagreed with the Presbyterian lady, who 
seems to have thought that this " practice " also was a " Mor- 
mon institution." 

But the depths of infamy — or should we say the " heights of 
absurdity " — are attained by another " case " mentioned. Thus : 

" Case : ^ Second wife, sixty-three years of age, helpless in bed ; no 
one to bring her a drink of water; no Liberal has dared to help her 
but me, for they dread the attacks of the Mormons. 

" I am a widow, living alone with two daughters, and I am seriously 
threatened for the service I have rendered her. The Mormons have 
cut down my wood and drawn it away ; they have fenced out the public 
road so that I could not go to town to get supplies — all because I have 
given help to this Mormon woman. I know three or four other Mor- 
mon women for whom my heart is weeping. I wish the Governor 
would send a detachment of soldiers to help them away. My home 
should shelter them. Ask the Governor to assist me now and send com- 
missioners to open the road. 

" This letter was taken to the Governor and he declined to have 
anything to do about it, and rejected the cases." — Ibid. p. 20. 

It is scarcely remarkable that an institution, whose managers 
persisted in circulating wretched stories of this description, 
should have been very largely avoided by the very classes for 
whose benefit it was intended. Nor is there any need to assume 
" direct vilification " by Mormons or other persons. On any 
basis, the failure of the institution would seem to constitute an 
additional argument for the oft-asserted contention that the 
Mormon women were not seeking sympathy, and did not desire 
it. Whatever may have been the basis in fact for any of the 
tales of suffering and " oppression," so widely circulated at this 
period, it is evident that the Church and the people provided in 
some satisfactory manner for all such women and children, 
" victims of polygamy " — and " law enforcement " — as were in 
need. In view of the fact that scarcely a dozen " eligible " 
women were ever in the care of this institution at any one time, 
there seems to be a sad element of satire in the reported remark 
of Governor West, as above quoted: 

"The highest compliment that can be paid to her (Mrs. Newman) 
is, that the Christian people, by their prayers and efforts and labors, 
shall, when the institution is completed, try to find an inmate for it." 

As early as 1888, Mrs. Ferry, the president of the Association, 



A SHELTER FOR THE " ERRING " 377 

contributed a statement to the annual report of the Utah Com- 
mission, in which she stated: 

" The board of this association do not propose to close the doors of 
this home so long as our government gives them the means to provide 
a home. True, there are disheartened and discouraged members of the 
association — tired of giving time and toil where it is unappreciated, 
but most of those who began the work are as true to-day, and if this 
effort for good fails, it will not be their fault." 

The Congressional appropriation was withdrawn in 1896, when 
Utah was admitted to statehood, and the work of the home asso- 
ciation ceased automatically. There was a movement to locate 
the Federal offices, post office, etc., in the building, but it also 
failed. After several years* use as a private residence, the build- 
ing was sold at public auction, Sept. 7, 1899. 

On the announcement that the building and property of the 
Association were to be disposed of by auction, the following 
comments were published in a local newspaper: 

"The Women's Industrial Home is at last no more. The building 
and premises on Fifth East street will now be sold to the highest 
responsible bidder. This Utopian dream of Utah philanthropists has 
had many a rude awakening, but none quite so harsh and realistic as the 
present prosaic announcement that the place is to be knocked down 
under the hammer, as it were, as so much old junk, for which the 
government has no use. 

""By the way, as a mere matter of fact, the government never did 
have any real use for the place. It was used to provide certain zealous 
men and women of good intentions but faulty judgment, with fairly 
good offices for a while, but that was the only good purpose it ever 
served."— - Deseret Evening News, July 2% 1899. 



378 THE REAL MORMONISM 



A POLYGAMIST'S PRAYER 

The following verses are from a poem written by a Mormon, 
who was suffering imprisonment for unlawful cohabitation under 
the Edmunds Law. It is interesting as an exhibit of the state of 
mind of many of these offenders and " constructive " offenders 
against a law, under which their enemies had ample opportunity 
to catch them on all kinds of technicalities. 

" I WILL PRAY FOR YOU TO-NIGHT 

" Dear Family ; When last we met 
In truth my heart did ache. 
I murmured low, ' Tis sad to go 
To prison for conscience' sake, 
To part with friends and family dear 
For the Gospel truth and light.' 
I dashed aside the silent tear, 
Resolved with God to fight, 
That God may bless all in distress 
I'll pray for you to-night. 
. • . . .....»«« 

"Through wicked men and unjust laws 
Into prison we are cast, 
For daring defend the word of God, 
As were His saints in ages past. 
But while we remain upon the earth 
And enjoy true Gospel light, 
We'll sing His praise in these latter days, 
Though in prison we are to-night. 

"Dear Family; Cheer up; Fresh courage take. 
Our love will again entwine, 
And pervade our family circle: 
Yes, we'll keep God's law divine, 
For time and all eternity 
Heavenly vows did us unite. 
No mortal device can rend those ties. 
I thank God for this to-night. 

"Dear Family; Trials we must pass through 
If we expect to gain 
The blest reward of the faithful saints 
Who with Jesus Christ shall reign; 
As kings and queens mid heavenly scenes 
We'll be crowned in power and might. 
That we may endure, and the prize secure 
Is my humble prayer to-night." 



VII 
ANTI-MORMON EXPLANATIONS 

Vain babblings and oppositions of science." — I Timothy vi. 20. 



CHAPTER XXVI 

WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 

The traditional hypothesis — that of Smith's entire duplicity 
and " imposture " — involves altogether too many absurd and 
self -contradictory assumptions, when we come to a careful ex- 
amination. Nowhere is this essential absurdity more fully ap- 
parent than in the elaboration of the theory of the Spaulding 
authorship of the Book of Mormon, as will be seen at a later 
place. According to any of these explanations, Smith certainly 
deserves credit as nearly the most ingenious and able of all men 
promulgating a system of belief, popularly classed as " untrue." 
The astuteness and positive executive ability, presumably shown 
by him in these matters, is not explained by the unworthy origin 
and evil youth, as vehemently asserted by these same critics. 
Nor do we find more " promising material " in any of his early 
associates, except, possibly, the Pratt brothers, who, able as they 
doubtless were, showed no signs of such colossal genius as we 
are asked to assume resided in, or near, Joseph Smith. It takes 
genius to accomplish great results, even though these be rated 
" evil " ; nor, as already suggested, is a " bad will " the only 
equipment needed for success in such matters. 

Later theorizers, aware doubtless of the defects in earlier 
methods of treating Smith's career and teachings, have attempted 
to apply the principles of psychology and pathology to an ex- 
planation of his case. Thus, we have the now popular theory 
that Smith, although honest, so far as his own conscience was 
concerned, was a victim of some such serious derangement as 
epilepsy. The authorized accounts of his several visions are 
taken as the primary evidences of this allegation, together with 
certain data on ancestral and parental disease and eccentricity, 
as predetermining causes. His own alleged bad habits are 
credited with effect as " aggravating conditions." The suffi- 
ciency of this theory may be judged by citations from one of its 
earliest promulgators, and its real value, apart from its interest 
as an academic discussion, may be found by an examination of 
his allegations. Of course, as the adherents of this theory con- 

381 



382 THE REAL MORMONISM 

fess, there is a lack of data sufficient to positively establish their 
contentions, or, as a matter of fact, to establish any other pro- 
posed explanation of the reported experiences of Smith's visions. 
It would seem far more satisfactory to report merely his claims 
and beliefs in the matter, and proceed to a discussion of his other 
claims and teachings. However, we must be reconciled, in the 
present connection, to the fact that the numerous confident solu- 
tions of the " riddle of Joseph Smith," all of them by persons 
more or less incapable of handling such matters satisfactorily, 
must be considered before we can be allowed to proceed to any- 
thing like a just estimate of his career and personality. Nor 
can we complain because these numerous critics render unfavor- 
able opinions in regard to him. Like the testimonies of his " old 
neighbors," so often quoted, they are embarrassing very largely 
because they allege with competent proof so little that is worthy 
consideration, so little that constitutes a finality in way of ex- 
planation. Nor is this any the less true of the alleged scientific 
analysis which professes to find Smith an epileptic and mental 
degenerate. 

The earliest, and best known, exponent of the epileptic theory 
is a certain Woodbridge Riley, formerly instructor in English in 
the New York University, who, having taken up the study of 
psychology, presented as a thesis for his doctor's degree at Yale 
University the book subsequently published under the title, The 
Founder of Mormonism. In his preface this author states: 

" Sectarians and phrenologists, spiritualists and mesmerists have vari- 
ously interpreted his [Smith's] more or less abnormal performances — 
It now remains for the psychologist to have a try at them." 

As candid investigators of the case of Mr. Smith, it must be 
confessed at the start that Mr. Riley has made out the weakest 
kind of a case for his thesis that Smith was an epileptic. In 
the character of the " psychologist " mentioned in his preface, 
he is very much like the dentist who will attribute all the ills of 
a patient to defective teeth, or the oculist who will blame poor 
eyes for the same symptoms. He makes Mr. Smith not only 
some vague variety of epileptic, but also a most interesting 
psychological study, a veritable magazine of about all the obscure 
and remarkable psychological and " psychic " symptoms recog- 
nized by modern writers. Thus, Smith was a " hypnotist " who 
could persuade the eleven witnesses of the Book of Mormon that 
they had actually seen the golden plates ; as an " automatic 
writer " he produces the Book of Mormon ; he is a " faith 
healer," occultist and exorcist, who, in spite of a personality and 
manners, which Mr. Riley finds were distinctly repulsive in sev- 
eral particulars, and, in spite of real derangement of several 



WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 383 

probable varieties, is able to accomplish, or at the least to lay the 
foundation of a work that has worried sensitive souls very sorely 
during the past eighty years. Riley's claims may be true, but 
his proffered " proofs " are inconclusive ; partly because he evi- 
dently has no clinical or professional knowledge of the symptoms 
of epileptic affections, and partly because that, according to him, 
Mr. Smith displayed such a profusion of rare and doubtful 
symptoms that one must regret that such a case should have 
missed observation. Just as many medical students are said to 
begin finding the symptoms of the diseases they read about in 
themselves, so Riley seems to suspect that Smith " had them all." 
In spite of these defects, his work has been accepted as a genuine 
contribution to the literature of the subject, and his explanation 
has been endorsed by repetition in well-known works of refer- 
ence. 

Aware of the fact that such a disease as epilepsy must be 
explained by definite conditions or occurrences in the history of 
the patient, or in the experiences of his parents or ancestors, 
Riley offers an analysis of the family history of the Smiths, 
which seeks to account for the prophet's experiences and his 
mental peculiarities by his ancestors' " illiteracy, their restless- 
ness and their credulity," matters in which, however, they were 
in no sense unique. In addition to their belief in dreams and 
other spiritual manifestations, certain traits common to both 
lines are adduced as evidence that the descendant must have been 
in some way of unstable mentality. Thus, his maternal grand- 
father, Solomon Mack, in addition to alcoholic addiction in early 
life, suffered an accident shortly before the birth of Smith's 
mother, the limb of a tree falling on his head and inducing 
" fits." He also had hallucinations in old age. (pp. 346-347.) 
Smith's paternal grandfather, Asael Smith, " nicknamed ' crook- 
necked ' Smith, at the age of eighty-six, is spoken of as ' just 
recovering from a severe fit ' and of ' weak mind.' There is 
nothing more to be made of this than mental failure due to 
senility." (p. 348.) His maternal grandmother, Lydia Gates 
Mack, is credited with a " severe fit of sickness " at the age of 
forty-seven, although she was "alive in 1815, aged eighty." 
(p. 348.) However, " it is noticeable that the collaterals on the 
male side were uniformly healthy." (p. 348.) Much is made 
of the " hallucinations " of Smith's mother, the dreaming habit 
of his father, and the religious excitability of both, but, as the 
author evidently recognizes, no conclusive predisposition to dis- 
ease is to be found in these facts. 

Among the " predisposing causes " in the case of Smith him- 
self are mentioned " an infectious fever and an ulceration " ; 



384 THE REAL MORMONISM 

and among "exciting causes," "nervous instability, consequent 
on protracted religious excitement " and " fright," the latter oc- 
curring when a "gun was fired across his pathway." (p. 351.) 
Riley then proceeds to account for the visions of the prophet, as 
follows : 

" Now the first vision may be explained as a migraine, but the recur- 
rence of this psychic aura, in a more or less stereotyped form, along 
with otherwise inexplicable injuries and contusions, is to be laid to a 
real epilepsy. Here alcoholism was first in the list of provocative causes. 
Joseph's confession as to the ' weakness of youth, foolish errors, divers 
temptations and gratifications of appetites offensive in the sight of God/ 
is to be coupled with the confessions of his adherents that he sometimes 
drank too much liquor. The frequency of his intoxication cannot be de- 
termined ; along with Joseph, senior, he was charged by his enemies with 
public drunkenness; the Mormons themselves acknowledge at least two 
of the counts. . . . That alcoholism did but little to debilitate Joseph is 
proved by his general good health after thirty. It was, however, a 
provocative agent of his second attack at eighteen, for only the slightest 
stimulation was necessary to bring about a repetition of the first at- 
tack. 

"The two earliest seizures may be now examined in conjunction. 
As already suggested, the theophanic portion of the visions may be 
largely explained as an ophthalmic migraine. Whether this is to be 
associated with a partial sensorial epilepsy, is determinable, in one case, 
by what precedes, in the other by what follows. Collecting the terms 
there are the following expressions: 'A pillar of light exactly over 
my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually 
until it fell upon me.' In the second vision the details are fuller and 
more exact : 'On a sudden, a light like that of day, only of a far 
purer and more glorious appearance and brightness burst into the room; 
indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled with a consum- 
ing fire. ... I saw the light in the room begin to gather immediately 
around the person of him who had been speaking to me, and it continued 
to do so, until the room was again left dark, except just around him, 
when instantly I saw, as it were, a conduit open right up into heaven, 
and he ascended up till he entirely disappeared, and the room was left as 
it had been before this heavenly light had made its appearance/ This 
manifestation was repeated twice that night, once on the following day, 
and also throughout the series. As usual the apparent objective mani- 
festations were actually subjective symptoms. Their similarity is due 
to the fact that in ophthalmic migraine periodical attacks tend to be 
similar in the same patient. The visual disturbance is ushered in by 
a dimness or blindness, then a scintillating scotoma occupies the outer 
portions of the visual^ field. Patients experiencing this symptom for 
the first time cannot give an exact account of it, more than that it is a 
dazzling comparable to that observed in looking at the sun. But with 
repetition there comes a more accurate envisagement, as in the second 
vision of Joseph. 'The luminous ball of fire enlarges; its center be- 
comes obscure; gradually it passes beyond the limits of the visual field 
above and below, and the patient sees only a portion of it, in the form of 
a broken luminous line, which continues to vibrate until it has entirely 
disappeared. Then follows a phase of exhaustion and sometimes 
somnolence/ 

"These sequelae appear in the second vision, but to turn to the 
prodromata of the first. Joseph says that in this time of great excite- 



WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 385 

ment his mind was in a state of ' great uneasiness,' his feelings * deep and 
pungent/ and he ' kept himself aloof.' These are the remote premonitory 
symptoms of an attack, when the patient labors under a singular op- 
pression two or three days beforehand and is irritable, sad and secretive. 
The real seizure does not follow, unless there are immediate premonitory 
symptoms. These are not lacking in Joseph's case ; the ' think darkness ' 
may be explained as a migrainous scotoma, but fuller explanation is 
needed of Joseph's additional statements : ' I was seized upon by some 
;power as to bind my tongue; I was ready to sink into despair, until I 
found myself delivered from the enemy; I saw two personages, whose 
brightness and glory defy all description, one of whom spake unto me.' 
Taken in order and with proper terminology these phenomena appear to 
constitute the real epileptic aura. After the gradually increasing 
melancholic depression, the patient manifests: first, a sudden terror; 
second, violent palpitations of the heart, accompanied by a difficulty in 
breathing and a constriction of the larynx; third, along with these 
symptoms are complex visual and auditory hallucinations of corporeal 
figures, such as of fantastic personages who carry on a conversation 
or deliver a message. More marked, psychic, sensitive and sensory 
prodromata are manifest in the second vision. Whether this first psychic 
paroxysm was followed by a real seizure, is undeterminable. It is not, at 
any rate, the classic major attack. There is loss of consciousness — 
' when I came to myself ' — but nothing from which general convulsions 
can be inferred. Nevertheless the sensorial migraine is an equivalent 
for convulsive paroxysms. Again, in the major attacks, there is often 
lacking the initial cry, tongue biting, and evacuations. . . . Turning to 
the second seizure, it represents the more essential features of mental 
and motor disturbance, — a verbal deafness and feebleness of the limbs, 
followed by exhaustion and somnolence. The vision proper took place 
the night before the real seizure. As there was no apparent loss of 
consciousness, it may be considered merely as the immediate premoni- 
tion. Moreover, this vision, like the first, was preceded by anxiety and 
disquietude — ' I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfec- 
tions.' As an immediate prodroma, it is marked by more exact details. 
The parallel account gives these extra data. The celestial messenger's 
appearance was like 'fire,' and 'produced a shock which affected the 
whole body/ These may be explained as the sensory aura of red color 
(roth en flammenschein) and the sensitive aura of numbness (engourdis- 
sement). — /. W. Riley {The Founder of Mormonism, pp. 352-356). 

While there can be no doubt that in the foregoing analysis 
Mr. Riley has mentioned and, apparently, identified several of 
the leading symptoms of epileptic seizures, it is, nevertheless, 
true that he has also assumed as proven several other things that 
are by no means obvious, if we are to form a diagnosis of this 
case on the basis of principles advanced by some of the most 
careful authorities. Thus, while it will be agreed that very 
many epileptic patients are affected with " sensory aurae," which 
take the form of apparent visual and auditory perceptions — 
causing the patient to believe to be properly objective certain 
effects arising from internal derangements of the centres of 
sight and hearing — it is equally true that cases in which are 
found perfectly definite sense experiences, such as Smith de- 



386 THE REAL MORMONISM 

scribes, are certainly rare, if not extremely doubtful. Thus, al- 
though some authorities assert that all the vivid visions recorded 
in the past are only so many evidences of epileptic, or epileptoid, 
affection, there can be no doubt that the average sensory experi- 
ence of this character in the patients examined by competent 
physicians, are vague, inchoate and indefinite. We find men- 
tion, for example, of " flashes of light," " flashes of various 
colors," " wavelike motions in the air," " balls of fire in rapid 
vibratory motion," " zigzag lines and figures resembling an elec- 
tric spark " ; occasionally, also, figures of people or animals, usu- 
ally in motion; frequently a delusion of magnification of visible 
objects. Among the commoner auditory aurse, which are some- 
times associated with the visual, we find mention of " roaring 
and buzzing," " roaring and voices," " sounds like sea waves." 
Anything like the definite visual and auditory experiences re- 
corded in the case ot Joseph Smith is absent in the reports of 
the more careful investigators of the recognized epileptic and 
epileptiform affections. That this should be the case may be 
readily understood, when we consider that the physical cause of 
the symptom known as " migraine" — this word is cognate with 
" megrim," and means primarily " headache " — is some localized 
oppression of the brain centre involved. Such condition is 
likely to result in the orders of sensory phenomena mentioned 
above, far oftener than in anything of a clean-cut and definite 
character. 

There seems to be considerable uncertainty among authorities 
touching the exact relation between migraine and epilepsy. This 
may be understood from the following: 

" The relationship between these affections (migraines) and epilepsy 
has long been in dispute. I believe it is associated with the disease, 
especially in women, who more frequently show a periodicity in con- 
vulsive phenomena than men. Unquestionably some of the lighter forms 
of epilepsy pass for periodic sick headaches. It is the rule for psychic 
seizures to be followed by an intense, protracted pain in the head, that 
may persist for several days. . . . Before we can understand the rela- 
tionship between periodic migraine and some of the lighter epileptic 
states or equivalents, we must have a thorough understanding of the 
scope, character, and causes of such states and equivalents." — William 
P. Spratling, M. D. y (Epilepsy and Its Treatment, pp. 180-181). 

" Sir Lauder Brunton discusses at length the possible relationship 
between migraine and epilepsy, saying in part : 'If the terminal branches 
of the temporosphenoidal artery become contracted like a bit of piano 
wire, as the one which runs up my forehead does during a headache, the 
nutrition for the center of sight in the brain must necessarily be im- 
paired, and if the spasm should extend further down the artery, the 
centers of hearing, taste, and smell will also suffer. _ I think it probable 
that such impairment is the cause of the indistinct vision in hemianopsia, 
i.e., blindness to all objects on one side of the body, either to right 



WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 387 

or left, even of complete blindness and of zigzags which occur either 
before or during an attack of migraine.' 

"This distinguished author says, moreover, that, while the idea to 
some may be far-fetched, he inclines to believe that the fairies which 
many people declare they see are nothing more than the colored zigzags 
of migraine modified by imagination, and in some cases occasioned by 
an abnormal condition of one or the other eye. 

"Hallucinations of sight during epileptic attacks in which there is 
mental disturbance are not uncommon, but, in my experience, such ocular 
manifestations as those described by Fere and alluded to by Brunton, 
in which this condition is the only indication of an attack of epilepsy, 
are exceedingly rare, while the very fact that visual aurae are so common 
before ordinary attacks, and often so complicated in their formation, 
constitutes additional reasons for the existence of partial epileptic 
attacks that find the eye in ophthalmic migraine the center of dis- 
turbance. In such conditions the pupils are usually contracted, while 
in ordinary epilepsy they are the reverse." — Ibid. pp. 185-186. 

While it must be extremely difficult to analyze the conditions 
of epileptic and epileptoid affections, and to say definitely which 
of the minor symptoms are characteristic of a true seizure of 
any variety, and which not, it seems to be fairly well accepted 
among authorities that the sensory hallucinations incident on 
migraines, and other affections of the brain and circulation, are 
by no means indicative of an epileptic condition. Such experi- 
ences, as the consequence of fevers and general disorders of the 
brain and nervous system, are by no means uncommon. Nor is 
there any one definite assignable cause that may be cited in the 
case of the reported visions of Joseph Smith, or any other per- 
son. The identification of these visions with " ophthalmic 
migraine " by the author quoted above consists merely in the 
use a term habitually associated with epilepsy, but which does 
not certainly cover the involved experiences. To identify them 
with prodromic symptoms of epileptic attacks is thoroughly gra- 
tuitous, unless they be accepted as highly embellished accounts 
based on the simple phenomena of the ordinary sensory aura. 
The authority just quoted illustrates this contention, as follows : 
" Sensory aurae are vastly more common than all the rest and partake 
of the greatest imaginable range in character. . . Visual aurae greatly 
predominate, occurring as often as those of taste, hearing and smell com- 
bined. They usually take the form of flashes of light, the colors of 
the rainbow passing in rapid succession across the field of vision. In 
other instances they appear in the nature of optical illusions, people, 
dogs, cats, and wild animals of various kinds being engrafted on the 
visual field ; while it still more rarely happens that temporary blindness 
immediately precedes the attack." — Ibid. pp. 225-226. 

Judging from the testimony of experts, it is probable that 
definite ideas are occasionally derived from sensory illusions, 
when experienced in combination with aura more definitely 
" psychic." Thus " Gowers mentions a woman who saw London 



3^ THE REAL MORMONISM 

in ruins, the Thames emptied to receive them, and herself the 
lonely survivor. This he calls a manifest ' psycho-sensory warn- 
ing.' " The application for all this to the discussion of the case 
in hand is evident, when we come to a study of the leading 
symptoms of the disorders mentioned, and see how far they 
apply to the case of Joseph Smith. 

As defined by several authorities, epilepsy is a "group of 
symptoms, due to different pathological conditions," which is 
characterized by a loss of consciousness, short or long in dura- 
tion, frequently associated with chronic recurrent paroxysms, 
popularly known as " fits." On the varying nature and extent 
of these paroxysms authorities have found a basis for classifica- 
tion of several types of epileptic affection. Thus (i) Grand 
Mal, which includes a complete loss of consciousness and of 
motor coordination, accompanied by a violent fall to the ground 
and severe convulsions; (2) Petit Mai, in which there need not 
be a complete loss of consciousness or motor control, nor, as a 
rule, a violent falling to the ground, the muscular convulsions 
being also less violent; (3) Partial Seizure, called by some au- 
thorities "Jacksonian Epilepsy," which consists essentially in 
convulsive movements of some one limb or group of muscles, al- 
though not involving loss of consciousness — this seems to be 
the " transitional " form mentioned by other authorities ; (4) 
Psychic Epilepsy, which is merely a " temporary blank in the 
field of consciousness . . . rarely accompanied by muscular dis- 
turbance of any kind," although sometimes characterized by 
visual phenomena. There are, in addition, various milder forms 
of seizure, which are either the early stages of some definite type 
of the general malady, or, because of symptomatic resemblances, 
are classed as " epileptoid " or " epileptiform." 

In discussing Smith's case, Mr. Riley claims as evidences of 
real seizures several facts mentioned by either Smith himself 
or his mother. Among these are his several losses of conscious- 
ness; the several cases of great exhaustion and fright; the fact 
that, on one occasion, as related, he had dislocated his thumb — 
a result of inflexion on the palm of the hand, as the first move- 
ment in a progressive and violent series of muscular convulsions ; 
and that, on at least one occasion — " when returning home with 
the golden plates " — he was found to have been severely 
bruised, either as the result of an assault by highwaymen, as he 
stated, or of the injuries resulting from a true "grand mal" 
attack, as Riley claims. However, in spite of these data, Mr. 
Riley concludes, as follows: 

"The evidence in Joseph's case is now in. It remains, if possible, to 

locate it among the various forms of epilepsy : — 1. grand mal; 2. petit 



WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 389 

mal; 3. transitional; 4. irregular; 5. epileptoid and epileptiform (North- 
nagel). . . . Joseph's case is not in the first category, grand mal, for 
'the major convulsive attack, with loss of consciousness, presents this 
constant characteristic, — that it leaves no trace in the memory of the 
patient.' This amnesia varies in duration. ' Many patients remember 
the remote premonitory phenomena and even the sensations of the aura. 
Some retain the memory of the first convulsive movements' (Fere). 
. . . There is no single experience of Joseph's which completely fulfils 
the classic formula : — premonitory symptoms remote and immediate, 
with both mental and motor disturbances; the attack proper, with its 
two periods of tonic and clonic convulsions; the after-stage of gradual 
return to consciousness, with abnormally deep sleep; and the sequelae 
— of wounds, bruises, excoriations. 

"If Joseph's case is not grand mal, it is also not petit mal. He had 
in the first half of the series premonitions, and in the last half spasms. 
Again, to anticipate, the depth of his exhaustion and of his unnerved 
and bruised state militate against the penultimate class, — the so-called 
irregular forms, in which the epileptic delirium is mild; and in greater 
degree against the first class, — the epileptoid and epileptiform seizures. 
These are slight and incomplete and do not comprise violent acts of 
ambulatory automatism in which the patient senselessly wounds him- 
self. Possibly Joseph's last recorded seizure, with the long flight from 
home, may be one of those irregular forms, in which convulsions are 
replaced by running. On the whole, out of the five given varieties, 
the third, from its inclusive character, best describes Joseph's case." — 
The Founder of Mormonism, pp. 361-362. 

It is disappointing to find a professed scientific discussion of 
an interesting case ending in such a manner, although, to one in- 
vestigating the matter from an unprejudiced point of view, it 
would be difficult to see exactly how it could be otherwise. As a 
matter of fact, no one of the alleged " symptoms " mentioned by 
Riley, nor all of them together, can certainly establish the sus- 
picion that Smith was afflicted in any such manner as is claimed. 
Some of these " symptoms " seem to indicate the graver forms of 
epileptic attack, while others, mentioned in close association with 
them, suggest merely the minor forms of the affection, or, even 
some of the numerous orders of malady classed as " epilepti- 
form " or " epileptoid." We must conclude, therefore, that 
either the accounts of the experiences, as recorded by Smith and 
his mother, are inaccurate as to detail, several experiences being 
confused and massed together, or else that their true nature and 
explanation have not as yet been found. Thus the alleged " pro- 
dromata," discerned in the recorded " great uneasiness " and the 
feelings " deep and pungent " (" poignant "), as well as the " keep- 
ing aloof," appear in Smith's narration, above quoted,* as chronic 
and constant states of mind, rather than the forerunners of any 
attacks whatever. His religious anxieties and perturbations, as 
was quite characteristic at the time, seem to be described in the 
first two expressions, while, as regards the third, as seen in the 

* See page i6 f 



390 THE REAL MORMONISM 

quotation from his journal given above, he distinctly states that 
"I kept aloof from all these parties (religious denominations), 
though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion 
would permit." It is quite unlikely that a person laboring under 
a " delusion of persecution " and who is " irritable, sad and secre- 
tive," should, " as occasion would permit," put himself into the 
company of those supposed to be the cause of his misfortunes, 
and the subjects of his diseased aversion. 

A very similar judgment may be recorded on the attempted ex- 
planation of Smith's account of his several cases of exhaustion. 
Such exhaustion follows, of course, from epileptic attacks, but its 
presence does not involve such causes by any necessary condi- 
tions, particularly in a person of active habits. Furthermore, it 
is probable that such effects, when noticeably present, would indi- 
cate far more serious complications, also much severer paroxysms 
than can be alleged in the case of Smith, by Riley's own acknowl- 
edgment. Unless such " symptoms " be very much overstated, it 
seems safer to say that they would indicate some order of " ex- 
haustive paralysis " than any mere fatigue of ordinary type. 
This may be illustrated in the following quotation from the au- 
thority above cited : 

" Exhaustion-paralysis, or a more or less complete but temporary 
loss of function of some part of the body, may follow certain types of 
epileptic seizures. This condition of transient paralysis is epilepsy was 
first carefully observed by Bravais in 1824, as mentioned in his work on 
hemiplegic epilepsy. . . . Some degree of paralysis, exhaustive in nature, 
is not rare after Jacksonian or partial epilepsy, and may be easily demon- 
strated in which consciousness is retained during the fit; it probably 
occurs in some degree after every attack in this form of epilepsy. 
The fewer the muscles affected by the fit, the greater will be the sub- 
sequent weakness, inasmuch as it is a result of a local and complete 
discharge of one particular motor area. . . . The motor weakness more 
or less rapidly disappears after single fits, but when it results after 
serial or status periods in which the fits are partial in type and range, 
the paralysis may be fully as complete as that seen after an apoplectic 
stroke, and it may remain more or less marked for days and weeks. 
In rare cases of idiopathic epilepsy the paralysis has been known to 
persist as an anomalous type of hemiplegia. . . . The paralysis is always 
most marked in those parts which are engaged most in the convulsion. 
It is, therefore, an exhaustion of the cortical elements; in other words, 
it is a problem in fatigue of cortical elements and not of muscles alone. 
It is quite probable that the general exhaustion which follows general 
fits and which is covered by coma may be analogous to the local weak- 
ness here described. — W. P. Spratling, Op. cit., pp. 252-254. 

" The most serious clinical phase of the cortical pathology is due to 
the ultimate disappearance of the cortical cells ; their destruction ex- 
plains many of the permanent symptoms of the disease, especially the 
slowness, awkwardness, and incoordination of muscle movements, and 
the progressive mental failure (dementia) which is seen in so many 
epileptics. The disorder of motility in chronic cases amounts to a 
paralysis in many instances. The local and general exhaustion present 



WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 391 

after local or general fits (especially seen in those parts which participate 
most in the convulsion), are true exhaustion-paralyses in type, congen- 
ers of paralyses from destructive lesions of motor cells and tracts, but 
the sluggish, awkward, and incoordinate movements present in chronic 
epilepsy are really consequent upon cell destruction." — Ibid. p. 332. 

Among the other physical symptoms mentioned by Riley are 
" running," which is often an " equivalent " of paroxysms ; lapses 
of consciousness, which are characteristic of the graver forms of 
seizure; and the fact that on one occasion, as recorded by his 
mother, Smith dislocated his thumb. He also mentions the sev- 
eral recorded fallings-down, although carefully refraining from 
discussion of the statement, " When I came to myself again, I 
found myself lying on my back." This might seem to suggest a 
graver case of seizure than Riley can establish from his " symp- 
toms." On the whole, the dislocation of the thumb is the best 
evidence adduced in this connection, as above suggested. It is 
remarkable, however, that the equally characteristic dislocation 
of the shoulder is nowhere mentioned (although this is a symp- 
tom of grand mat), nor yet the familiar bitten tongue. Such 
matters if present would probably have been mentioned, either 
by Smith or his mother, whose ignorance of the characteristic 
marks of the epileptic need not have been urged to their discredit. 
As for the bruises and contusions, mentioned by Riley (p. 360) 
as evidences of a seizure, it must be insisted that their value is 
largely discounted, in view of the absence of the other " marks " 
that should reasonably have been expected as the results of con- 
vulsions of violence sufficient to result in physical injury. 

On the whole, this attempt to diagnose a case of epileptic af- 
fection from a few scattered symptoms cannot be other than 
abortive and unsatisfactory. Smith may have had epileptic 
symptoms — may have been an epileptic of some variety all his 
life, just as were sundry other great and conspicuous men, ac- 
cording to the findings of our pathologists — but we have not 
seen it proved. If any better evidence is needed than that al- 
ready advanced, we may quote the words of an authority, who is 
still recognized among specialists in this kind of malady, as fol- 
lows: 

"Epilepsy, like paralysis, is not a morbid entity existing by itself, 
but a manifestation of manifold derangements disturbing the nervous 
system and giving rise to definite inseparate conditions — immediate 
cause of the convulsive paroxysm — that remain the same whatever 
be the occasional origin of the epilepsy. 

" No other malady exhibits a wider range in its etiology. There is 
scarcely a disease deranging the human frame in which epileptiform 
convulsions might not happen as an accident or essential phenomenon, 
and it may be safely set down as a truth of great importance that the 
numerous conditions capable of inducting epilepsy give to each of its 
species a characteristic impression that will ever prevent conforming 



392 THE REAL MORMONISM 

their individual symptoms to any typical case, or finding any specific 
cure for every instance of the disease. To establish the peculiar mor- 
bid conditions influencing its development, to discriminate the general 
from the local circumstances, in order to arrive at a rational and suc- 
cessful treatment, is the fundamental question in the study of epilepsy." 
- — >Echeverria {Epilepsy, p. 10). 

On the other hand, the supposition that Smith's recorded ex- 
periences may have been in some sense actual occurrences might 
yield an explanation of very many of the physical and mental ef- 
fects recorded by him. Without wishing to incur the charge of 
being over-credulous, even in these days of " rationalism/' when 
all sorts of absurdities are eagerly accepted, when labeled " scien- 
tific," we may state that a vision of God, or of any other supernal 
beings, for that matter, could, imaginably, occasion the symptoms 
of fear, or some similar strong emotion, many of which closely 
suggest some of the leading effects described and discussed above. 
Thus, the physical symptoms of fear, for example, as described 
by several authorities, show many of the elements already noted 
and described as characteristic of pathological seizures. This 
fact may be illustrated in the following quotation : 

"Fear is often preceded by astonishment, and is so far akin to it, 
that both lead to the senses of sight and hearing being instantly aroused. 
In both cases the eyes and mouth are widely opened, and the eyebrows 
raised. The frightened man at first stands like a statue, motionless 
and breathless, or crouches down as, if instinctively to escape observa- 
tion. 

" The heart beats quickly and violently, so that it palpitates or knocks 
against the ribs; but it is very doubtful whether it then works more 
efficiently than usual, so as to send a greater supply of blood to all 
parts of the body; for the skin instantly becomes pale as during in- 
cipient faintness. ... In connection with the disturbed action of the 
heart, the breathing is hurried. The salivary glands act imperfectly; 
the mouth becomes dry, and is often open and shut. . . . One of the 
best-marked symptoms is the trembling of all the muscles of the 
body; and this is often first seen in the lips. From this cause, and 
from the dryness of the mouth, the voice becomes husky or indistinct or 
may altogether fail. ... As fear increased into an agony of terror, we 
behold, as under all violent emotions, diversified results. The heart 
beats wildly or must fail to act and faintness ensue; there is a death- 
like pallor; the breathing is labored; the wings of the nostrils are 
widely dilated; 'there is a gasping and convulsive motion of the lips, 
a tremor on the hollow cheek, a gulping and catching of the throat.' . . . 
All the muscles of the body may become rigid, or may be thrown into 
convulsive movements. — Charles Darwin {Expression of the Emo- 
tions, pp. 289-292). 

However, in commenting on the reflex effects brought about by 
the emotions, Prof. William James remarks: 

" Were we to go through the whole list of emotions which have been 
named by men, and study their organic manifestations, we should but 
ring the changes on the elements which these three typical cases 
(sorrow, fear and hatred) involve. Rigidity of this muscle, relaxation 



WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 393 

of that, constriction of arteries here, dilatation there, breathing of this 
sort or of that, pulse slowing or quickening, this gland secreting and 
that one dry, etc., etc. We should, moreover, find that our descrip- 
tions had no absolute truth ; that they only applied to the average man ; 
that every one of us, almost, has some personal idiosyncrasy of ex- 
pression. . . . Now the moment the genesis of an emotion is accounted 
for, as the arousal by an object of a lot of reflex acts which are forth- 
with felt, we immediately see why there is no limit to the number of 
possible different emotions which may exist, and why the emotions of 
different individuals may vary indefinitely, both as to their constitution 
and as to objects which call them forth. For there is nothing sacra- 
mental or eternally fixed in reflex action. Any sort of reflex effect is 
possible, and reflexes actually vary indefinitely, as we know." — Prin- 
ciples of Psychology, Vol. II., pp. 447^-448; 454. 

In view of the principles and data set forth in the above quota- 
tion, it may be asked if any strong emotion-reflexes, produced by 
some exceptional experience, as an exciting cause, could be called 
upon to account for such symptoms as are described in the words 
used by Joseph Smith in narrating the occurrences before and 
during his first vision. It is interesting, at any rate, to compare 
some such explanation as this with that given in the words of 
Mr. Riley, as quoted above. Nor is it out of place to remind the 
reader that the expression of emotion in normal individuals un- 
der exceptional stimuli, may approximate many symptoms of 
pathological disorders. Thus, for example, we hear of cases de- 
scribed with perfect accuracy, so far as the apparent symptoms 
are concerned, in which people have been " paralyzed with hor- 
ror " or " terrified into a fit." Other " grave symptoms " are 
common in such cases. 

In view of the facts just mentioned, we must acknowledge 
that, even on the theory that Smith's reported experiences are 
part and parcel of a wholly fictitious narrative, the details are well 
worked out — the author of any such fictitious narrative must 
have experienced deep and unusual emotions at some periods in 
his career. Again, as we shall see later, these accounts agree in 
detail with the effects recorded in connection with the several 
theophanous visions of the Old and New Testaments. His ac- 
counts, if fictitious, are very well conceived as to details. 

From still another point of view we may judge of the patho- 
logical significance of the events recorded by Smith. Since he 
records with sufficient accuracy to attract the attention of Mr. 
Riley and other psychologists, the symptoms attributed to patho- 
logical seizure of some kind, it is reasonable to assert that he 
must have been unaware that they could indicate any such con- 
ditions as these theorizers assert. Since, therefore, other strik- 
ing symptoms must have been present in a case of epilepsy, it is 
surprising that we find no mention of them as a part of the emo- 



394 THE REAL MORMONISM 

tions liable to be excited by theophanous and angelic visions or 
visitations. As indicated by Riley, a case involving such vivid 
recollections of sensory phenomena could not have involved a 
complete loss of consciousness; consequently other events should 
have impressed the memory with similar vividness. Further, a 
case of epilepsy involving, at times, paroxysms severe enough to 
produce " injuries and contusions," also thumb dislocations, 
would probably have involved convulsions severe enough to be 
remembered with the other recorded symptoms, along with the 
visual phenomena. In other words, the narrator would probably 
have considered them essential parts of his story. Not only does 
he record no such " twitchings and writhings," however, but, at 
a later period, he distinctly states that such things are no part of 
the experiences of a true prophet of God. Thus: 

"One great evil is, that men are ignorant of the nature of spirits; 
their power, laws, government, intelligence, etc., and imagine that when 
there is anything like power, revelation, or vision manifested, that 
it must be of God. Hence the Methodists, Presbyterians, and others 
frequently possess a spirit that will cause them to lie down, and during 
its operation, animation is frequently entirely suspended; they con- 
sider it to be the power of God, and a glorious manifestation from God 
— a manifestation of what? Is there any intelligence communicated? 
Are the curtains of heaven withdrawn, or the purposes of God de- 
veloped? Have they seen and conversed with an angel — or have the 
glories of futurity burst upon their view? No! but their body has 
been inanimate, the operation of their spirit suspended, and all the in- 
telligence that can be obtained from them when they arise, is a shout 
of 'glory' or 'hallelujah,' or some incoherent expression; but they have 
had ' the power.' . . . 

" The * French Prophets ' were possessed of a spirit that deceived ; they 
existed in Vivaris and Dauphiny, in great numbers in the year 1688; 
there were many boys and girls from seven to twenty-five; they had 
strange fits, as in tremblings and faintings, which made them stretch 
out their legs and arms, as in a swoon ; they remained awhile in trances, 
and coming out of them, uttered all that came in their mouths. 

"Now God never had any prophets that acted in this way; there was 
nothing indecorous in the proceeding of the Lord's prophets in any age ; 
neither had the apostles, nor prophets in the apostles' day anything of 
this kind. Paul says, ' Ye may all prophesy, one by one ; and if anything 
be revealed to another let the first hold his peace, for the spirit of the 
prophets is subject to the prophets'; but here we find that the prophets 
are subject to the spirit, and, falling down, have twitchings, tumblings, 
and faintings through the influence of that spirit, being entirely under 
its control. Paul says, 'Let everything be done decently and in order,' 
but here we find the greatest disorder and indecency in the conduct of 
both men and women, as above described. The same rule would apply 
to the fallings, twitchings, swoonings, shaking, and trances of many of 
our modern revivalists. — History of the Church, Vol. IV. pp. 57 2 > 57^. 

It is noticeable that the speaker admits the validity of " sus- 
pended animation " in true spiritual manifestations, provided, ap- 
parently, that it lead to "intelligence communicated," etc. As 






WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 395 

regards the " twitchings, tumblings, and faintings," however, he 
makes no such proviso. Of course, in any such case, it is easy 
to say that a man may falsify in suppressing the details not men- 
tioned, but why, then, should we accept any of his statements as 
perfectly accurate? 

However, Mr. Riley's " case " of epilepsy, which he himself 
finds must have been of a very " inclusive character," and actually 
so vague and indeterminate that he attempts no further definition 
of its symptoms, beyond suggesting that it was principally 
" psychic/' is of importance to the student of Joseph Smith's ca- 
reer merely because it contains, professedly, an explanation of 
Smith's recorded visions. These, as already seen, he states " may 
be largely explained as an ophthalmic migraine" (p. 352). 
However, in referring to a later experience, he states : 

"Whether these visitations are to be identified with epileptic seizures 
is immaterial; the point here is that, as regards mental manifestations, 
1 it is undoubtedly possible for an absolutely healthy state of mind to co- 
exist with epilepsy.' Historical tradition tells of numerous highly gifted 
men who suffer from epilepsy, and whose deeds do not allow the recog- 
nition of any mental deterioration." — Op. cit., pp. 365-366. 

The real question is, then not whether Smith suffered in youth 
from an epileptiform malady, — and such afflictions are much 
more common than one might wish to think — but as to whether 
it explains the visions which he claims to have experienced. To 
this latter question credible authorities on epilepsy, as well as Mr. 
Riley himself, furnish- a rather conclusive negative. We find no 
reported visual experiences that more than partially parallel those 
described by Joseph Smith, in vividness and definiteness, and, 
as is fair to suppose, Mr. Riley has also found none; otherwise, 
presumably, he would have quoted them. 

However, as in other points, curiously enough, the question 
refers less to the judgment to be passed on Joseph Smith's case 
than to that which we are to apply to a far more general situation. 
It is briefly this, as to whether the foundations of religion itself 
are not laid in occurrences that may be interpreted, with the skill 
and information present, as in some very real sense pathological. 
In other words, since the general characteristics of Smith's re- 
ported visions are the same as those of other and more ancient 
theophanists, is it admissible to claim, with Lombroso and others, 
that they also were afflicted with grave maladies? While many 
modern theologians may be willing to admit such a conclusion, it 
must be insisted that its assertion is a distinct presumption on the 
all-sufficiency of our present knowledge of matters psychic and 
pathological ; hence not to be reasonably considered. 

In order to illustrate the ease with which certain writers have 
made out an apparently strong case, we may quote Lombroso, 



396 THE REAL MORMONISM 

who in the course of argument in support of his theory of the 
" epileptoid nature of genius," quotes Renan on the case of St. 
Paul, as follows: 

" St. Paul was of low stature, but stoutly made. His health was al- 
ways poor, on account of a strange infirmity which he calls ' a thorn in 
the flesh/ and which was probably a serious neurosis. 

" His moral character was anomalous ; naturally kind and courteous, 
he became ferocious when excited by passion. In the school of 
Gamaliel, a moderate Pharisee, he did not learn moderation; as the en- 
thusiastic leader of the younger Pharisees, he was among the fiercest 
persecutors of the Christians. . . . Hearing that there was a certain 
number of disciples at Damascus, he demanded of the high priest a 
warrant for arresting them, and left Jerusalem in a disturbed state of 
mind. On approaching the plain of Damascus at noon, he had a seizure, 
evidently of an epileptic nature, in which he fell to the ground un- 
conscious. Soon after this, he experienced an hallucination, and saw 
Jesus himself, who said to him in Hebrew, ' Paul, Paul, why persecutest 
thou me ? ' For three days, seized with fever, he neither ate nor drank, 
and saw the phantom of Ananias, whom, as head of the Christian com- 
munity, he had come to arrest, making signs to him. The latter was 
summoned to his bed, and calm immediately returned to the spirit of 
Paul, who from that day forward became one of the most fervid 
Christians. Without desiring any more special instruction — as having 
received a direct revelation from Christ himself — he regarded himself 
as one of the apostles, and acted as such, to the enormous advantage 
of the Christians. The immense dangers occasioned by his haughty and 
arrogant spirit were compensated a thousand times over by his bold- 
ness and originality, which would not allow the Christian idea to remain 
within the bounds of a small association of people ' poor in spirit,' who 
would have let it die out like Hellenism, but, so to speak, steered boldly 
out to sea with it. At Antioch he had an hallucination similar to that of 
Mahomet at a later period; he felt himself rapt into the third heaven, 
where he heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to 
utter." — The Man of Genius, pp. 347-348. 

Lombroso, who quotes Renan in the above passage, evidently 
with complete approval, does not hesitate to attempt an explana- 
tion of Christ's career on precisely similar principles. Thus, as 
they tell us, must science shatter the opinions of the past — the 
" superstitions," presumably. It is a sad satire on the sufficiency 
of the canons of the " science " followed by such men, that Lom- 
broso, in his old age, became a doting dupe of the crudest kind of 
" spiritistic " swindle, and found his " faith in immortality " re- 
newed by tipping tables and levitated coal scuttles. Why the 
" supernatural " becomes any the more believable under such 
conditions than under others is a question that should invite an 
answer from some competent mind. 

In view of the professed experiences of Joseph Smith, as de- 
scribed above, and the symptoms and aurse of epileptic affec- 
tions, as outlined in quotations, also given, it seems interesting 
to note that the correspondences mentioned by Riley and others 
apply with equal force to far more ancient personages. Thus, 






WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 397 

Abraham, in the course of a theophany, experiences "a horror 
of great darkness" (Gen. xv, 12) ; Moses has a vision of God 
in the midst of flames, in which " the bush was not consumed " 
(Exod. iii, 2) ; Elijah experiences a divine manifestation, which 
includes a " great and strong wind," presumably attended with 
noise, and "a fire," succeeded by a "still small voice" (I Kings 
xix, 9-18) ; Ezekiel, on four distinct occasions, in the course of 
prolonged visions of God and heavenly beings, records, " I fell 
upon my face" (Ezek. i, 28; iii, 23; xliii, 3; xliv, 4), although 
whether in obeisance or as one overcome is not stated; John the 
Revelator records, "I fell at his feet as (one) dead" (Rev. i, 
17) ; Daniel also fell upon his face at the approach of Gabriel 
(Dan. viii, 17); Jacob, "left alone," has an experience — a 
wrestling with an angel — which results in the dislocation of his 
thigh. It is notable, also, that in all the greater visions recorded 
in the Bible the elements of light and color are prominent; also, 
that the details are most numerous and complex. In the matter 
of color perceptions in these visions and theophanies, it is inter- 
esting to notice that an intense white is not unfamiliar. Thus, 
for example, in the account of the transfiguration of Christ 
(Matt, xvii, 2; Mark ix, 3), we find mention of garments " white 
as the light" and exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on 
earth can white them." Of course, such data will move many 
theorizers to assert that the real basis was some kind of path- 
ologic seizure in each case; but it is not too much to say that 
such statement is a mere presumption on the sufficiency of our 
present knowledge in every instance. It is also perfectly cer- 
tain that we know nothing whatever about the conditions and 
experiences described; nor can we assert with proof that they 
are impossible; hence we cannot undertake to classify them. It 
is interesting, however, to note that the recorded experiences, 
criticized in certain quotations already given, agree in general 
" symptoms " with those always accepted as of exceptional and 
divine origin. It is certain that the details are correctly " worked 
out." 

While considering the epilepsy theory, as set forth by Riley 
and others to explain the case of Joseph Smith, it must not be 
forgotten that it explains by no means all the facts alleged by 
Smith, his family and his personal associates. This is true be- 
cause, while some pathologic seizure may be assumed, in order 
to explain such visions, when occurring to a person by himself, 
they are worthless when others in his company testify that they 
have seen the same things themselves, and, further, persist in 
their representations to this effect until the day of their death. 
Thus, as recorded in the history of Joseph Smith and of the 



398 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Church founded by him, there were several distinct visions of 
angelic and divine personages experienced by Smith, in company 
with others. Of such character were the reported experiences 
of the " three witnesses to the Book of Mormon/' who, as they 
testify, and never denied, saw an angel, and a glorious light, and 
were shown the plates of the Book of Mormon ; the experiences 
of Oliver Cowdery, who testifies that he saw the glorified per- 
sonages, " John the Baptist " and the apostles, " Peter, James 
and John " ; finally, the other visions in the Kirtland Temple, 
shared by this same person and by Sidney Rigdon. 

The only excuse for considering the epileptic theory at such 
length is that it has been adopted as a convenient explanation of 
Smith and Mormonism by several writers and works of reference 
that have the attention of the public. Apart from this fact, the 
theory is worthless, both because its original promulgator knows 
little or nothing of the conditions and facts of epileptic and 
epileptoid affections, also because, in these same affections, there 
is such a wide range of uncertainty and misunderstanding, both 
as regards symptoms and as regards conclusive diagnosis. In- 
deed, it may be safely said, no careful physician would venture to 
label a given case epileptic until he had had opportunity to ob- 
serve the patient. Although the theory of genius and epilepsy, 
advocated by Lombroso and others, is regarded with interest in 
some quarters, it is universally agreed, apparently, that works of 
real worth produced by persons, supposed to have been affected, 
were not produced in the epileptic condition, but rather in spite 
of it. Nor would there be serious opposition to the statement 
that a stage of such a disease sufficiently advanced to have definite 
serious symptoms would preclude the production of great and 
lasting works of any description. In this connection we may 
compare the fatuity of a paranoid, such as Rienzi, with the 
achievements of Joseph Smith: clever writers and theorizers are 
still trying to explain Joseph Smith. The following statements 
from Dr. Charles L. Dana, a noted alienist, are of interest : 

"True epilepsy is not compatible with extraordinary intellectual en- 
dowments. Caesar, Napoleon, Peter the Great, and other geniuses 
may have had some symptomatic fits, but not idiopathic epilepsy." — 
Text Book of Nervous Diseases, 3d edition, p. 408. 
Joseph Smith's works were all well-reasoned, persistent and 
able, worthy the serious attention, as we have seen, of informed 
minds. They are as incompatible with the theory that he was de- 
ranged as they are with the equally unjustified theory that he 
was an habitual drunkard. Judging him by the writings, ora- 
tions and practical works of organization and thought which he 
has left us, he was evidently neither the one nor the other. 



WAS JOSEPH SMITH AN EPILEPTIC? 399 

Whatever may be the actual truth about any of the matters 
recorded by Joseph Smith and his associates, the fact remains 
that, in the insufficient state of human knowledge regarding all 
things divorced from the sphere of verifiable experience, it is 
the duty of any critic professing to be fair and intelligent to 
give careful and respectful attention to any professed experi- 
ences of people, not evidently insane, and to refrain from con- 
fident assertions that such experiences are completely explained 
on " rationalistic " grounds, so called, until something more than 
the vague theories of psychological experimenters can be invoked 
in support of our conclusions. (And do not our psychologists 
do this very thing in the case of spiritistic "mediums"?) Al- 
though, as is familiar, the average feeble brain of the present 
day supinely accepts the assurances of our rationalistic dreamers 
that there is certainly no possibility of a supernatural super- 
stratum in the universe, it remains true, nevertheless, that the 
belief in such is sufficiently fundamental and persistent in human 
history and experience to be classed, very nearly, among the in- 
stincts, or " innate ideas " of the mind. Without the element 
of the supernatural, no valid system of religion has ever been 
founded, and even where the supernatural traditions have been 
discountenanced, we find that the " most active minds " eagerly 
seek consolation in the newer forms of " spiritual philosophy," 
in travestied Buddhism and Brahmanism, as well as in spiritistic 
" assurances of a future life." How else shall we explain the 
large number of prominent experimental scientists — physicists, 
astronomers, zoologists, and others — who have openly declared 
their allegiance to the " doctrine of spirit-return " ? On the 
other hand, many persons, still firmly favorable to inherited tra- 
ditions, will assert that all claims to visions, theophanies, miracu- 
lous gifts, and the like, made at the present day, must be falla- 
cious; such things belonging wholly to the past, and not to be 
tolerated as possibilities now. While, as rational and honest 
beings, we cannot deny the possibility of the supernatural, we 
must insist that a belief in its manifestations involves no neces- 
sary time limits ; nor are we possessed of any sure rules for dis- 
criminating the true from the false manifestation, nor stating 
that, as applied to the cases of certain persons, such things can- 
not be assumed, even tentatively, as an explanation. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

DID SOLOMON SPAULDING WRITE THE BOOK OF MORMON? 

The Spaulding authorship theory, briefly stated, involves that 
the Book of Mormon was written in toto, with the probable ex- 
ception, as stated, of the " religious portions/' by a certain Rev. 
Solomon Spaulding, who had at one time been a Presbyterian 
minister, but later was engaged in business of several descrip- 
tions, first in New York state, later in Ohio. As related, his 
several business ventures were by no means successful, and he 
made an effort, desperate as it must seem, to retrieve his fortunes 
and pay his numerous debts, by writing novels. At least one 
such story has been attributed to him, bearing the title, The 
Manuscript Found, in which, on the basis of the alleged trans- 
lation of a parchment manuscript, discovered, professedly, by 
the author of the book, the reader is given an account of certain 
prehistoric nations of the western hemisphere. The alleged 
identifications of this production — or some other — of Spauld- 
ing's with the Book of Mormon is based upon the same line of 
poorly-conceived " testimony " as that which supposedly estab- 
lishes the worthless character of Smith's family and of himself. 
We have seen, already, how inconclusive and irrelevant are these 
latter " evidences." We shall see how extremely inconclusive 
are the former also. 

According to accepted accounts, Spaulding died in 1816, four- 
teen years before the publication of the Book of Mormon, with- 
out having published any of his writings. It is evident, there- 
fore, that he was not so conspicuous a figure in literature that 
the Book of Mormon, or any other production, could be properly 
identified as his, by comparison of literary style, diction or other 
marks recognized as evidences of authorship. Furthermore, in 
order to establish a " line of descent " for this theory, by which 
its sufficiency and credibility may be established, it is only fair 
to say that it was first promulgated by a certain E. D. Howe, in 
his book Mormonism Unveiled, in which he enlarges on every 
possible presumption of " evidence " and allegation that may be 
urged against the system attacked. In this effort, he presents 

400 






THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 401 

a lot of affidavits, alleged to have been made by numerous old 
neighbors, relatives and former associates of Mr. Spaulding, 
evidently considering them competent to establish the contention 
that the Book of Mormon was Spaulding's Manuscript Found, 
which had been lost for nearly twenty years. Other anti-Mor- 
mon writers have reproduced Howe's documents with sundry 
additions, and they still form the basis of the popular attacks on 
Mormonism. The story, as given by the alleged " testimonies " 
of these numerous witnesses, is as follows : 

Sometime in 1834 a Mormon missionary was conducting a 
meeting at Conneaut, Ohio, the former home of Solomon Spauld- 
ing, and, in the course of his exercise, read some portions of the 
Book of Mormon. As it happened, a brother of Solomon 
Spaulding, by name John Spaulding, was present, and, accord- 
ing to the story, " recognized perfectly the work of his brother 
. . . was annoyed and afflicted, that it should have been per- 
verted to so wicked a purpose," and " his grief found vent in a 
flood of tears." Forthwith, this gentleman, blessed with a sin- 
gularly retentive memory and keen sensibilities, " arose on the 
spot and expressed to the meeting his sorrow and regret that the 
writings of his deceased brother should be used for a purpose so 
vile and shocking." As a sequel to this dramatic occurrence, as 
alleged, a meeting of citizens was held, both to voice their indig- 
nation and to set right the memory of the late Mr. Spaulding, 
with the result that a certain Dr. Philastus Hurlburt was de- 
puted to visit the widow of Spaulding, then remarried to a Mr. 
Davidson, and obtain the " original manuscript " of the book, in 
order that it might be printed, together with the usual host of 
affidavits, to prove Solomon Spaulding its true author. 

Now, as the reader may note in this account, there are two 
elements of the exceptional, to say the least: first, that the 
memories of John Spaulding and other neighbors, could be so re- 
tentive as to " recognize perfectly " extracts read to them from 
a manuscript book over twenty years before, and, second, that 
they should also remember, with equal perfection, that Mr. 
Spaulding had made two manuscripts of his book. That Hurl- 
burt actually visited Mrs. Davidson seems to be an admitted fact, 
but that he was deputed by a mass meeting of indignant citizens 
is not so clear. He was himself a former believer in Smith's 
teachings, and, like all apostate Mormons, a victim of monu- 
mental bitterness against his former associates and co-religion- 
ists. Furthermore, it has been claimed that he was himself the 
author of Mormonism Unveiled, for the production of which he 
used the name of his printer, E. D. Howe. That he did not 
obtain the " duplicate " of Spaulding's manuscript, as he ex- 



402 THE REAL M0RM0NISM 

pected, seems now to be an established fact, as we shall see later. 
Nevertheless, the book written by himself, or Howe, asserts with 
the greatest confidence that such a " duplicate " must have ex- 
isted, and that Spaulding must have written the Book of Mor- 
mon. 

The evidence for this confidently-urged contention is embodied 
in affidavits from numerous people, to the following general ef- 
fects : John Spaulding testifies that his brother had written " a 
historical romance of the first settlers of America, and endeav- 
ored to show that the American Indians are the descendants of 
the Jews, or the Ten Lost Tribes." Mrs. John Spaulding is 
similarly quoted as saying that she had heard her brother-in-law 
read from his manuscript story in 1810, and that " He was then 
writing a historical novel founded on the first settlers of Amer- 
ica. . . . He had for many years contended that the aborigines 
of America were the descendants of some of the lost tribes of 
Israel; and this idea he carried out in the book in question." 
Mrs. Spaulding then continues: 

"The lapse of time which has intervened prevents my recollecting 
but few of the leading incidents of his writings ; but the names Lehi and 
Nephi are yet fresh in my memory as being the principal heroes of 
his tale. They were officers of the company which first came off from 
Jerusalem. He gave a particular account of their journey by land and 
by sea, till they arrived in America, after which disputes arose be- 
tween the chiefs, which caused them to separate into bands, one of 
which was called Lamanites, the other Nephites. Between these were 
recounted tremendous battles, which frequently covered the ground with 
slain and these being buried in large heaps, was the cause of the many 
mounds in the country. Some of these people he represents as being 
very large." 

To very similar effect is the affidavit attributed to a certain 
Henry Lake, a " business partner " of Spaulding's : 

" Solomon Spaulding frequently read to me from a manuscript which 
he was writing, which he entitled the Manuscript Found, and which 
he represented as having found in this town (Conneaut, Ohio). I spent 
many hours in hearing him read said writings, and became well ac- 
quainted with their contents. The book represented the American In- 
dians as being the descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, and gave an 
account of their having left Jerusalem, and of their contentions and 
wars, which were many and great. I remember telling Mr. Spaulding 
that so frequent use of the words : ' And it came to pass,' ' Now it 
came to pass/ rendered the book ridiculous." 

Affidavits are also given of persons named Aaron Wright, 
Oliver Smith, Artemus Cunningham and John N. Miller, who 
testify that Spaulding had been writing a romance based on the 
ideas that the inhabitants of America were descended from cer- 
tain emigrants from Jerusalem. Two of them relate also that 
they distinctly remembered the names Nephi and Lehi, which 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 403 

seem to be the only ones of all the peculiar Book of Mormon 
names that are recollected by most of the witnesses quoted. 
There are others, much more striking and unusual, which might 
reasonably have been remembered by some of those who had 
heard the entire book read, if, indeed, it was the Book of Mor- 
mon that they heard. 

Other friends of Mr. Spaulding are similarly quoted in affi- 
davits, as, for example, a certain Joseph Miller of Amity, Penn- 
sylvania, who is quoted as saying : 

" Some time ago I heard most of the Book of Mormon read. On 
hearing read the account of the battle between the Amlicites (Alma, 
Chap, ii), in which the soldiers of one army placed a red mark on their 
foreheads, to distinguish them from their enemies, it seemed to repro- 
duce in my mind not only the narrative but the very words, as they had 
been imprinted on my mind by reading Spaulding's manuscript." 

Similarly, another friend of Spaulding's, a certain Ruddick 
McKee of Washington, D. C, states: 

" I have an indistinct recollection of the passage referred to by Mr. 
Miller, about the Amlicites making a cross with red paint in their fore- 
heads to distinguish them from their enemies in the confusion of bat- 
tle." 

Among the other most highly esteemed " testimonies " are al- 
leged affidavits from Spaulding's daughter Martha, later Mrs. 
McKinstry. She is made to state: 

" My father read the manuscript I had seen him writing to the neigh- 
bors and to a clergyman, a friend of his, who came to visit him. Some 
of the names he mentioned while reading to the people I have never 
forgotten. They are as fresh in my memory as though I had heard 
them but yesterday. They are Mormon, Moroni, Lamanite and Nephi, 
etc., etc." 

Similarly, a certain Abner Johnson of Canton, Ohio, relates 
as follows: 

" Spaulding frequently read his manuscript to the neighbors and com- 
mented on it as he progressed. He wrote it in Bible style. ' And it came 
to pass ' occurred so often that some called him ' Old Come-to-pass.' 
The names Mormon, Moroni, Nephi, Nephite, Laman, Lamanite, etc., 
were in it. The closing scene was at Cumorah, where all the righteous 
were slain." 

As will be noticed, there is a " singular unanimity " among 
these witnesses, which is usually relied upon as complete evidence 
of their truthfulness. In such a case, however, this very 
•' unanimity " is a distinctly suspicious circumstance. As the 
reader will notice, several of these alleged affidavits seem to 
have been prepared by one person, and while most of them re- 
iterate the recollection of the names of Lehi, Nephi, Lamanite, 
etc., and no others whatever, precisely as if their affirmations 
had been given in answer to direct questions as to whether such 
names occurred to their memories, four of them, alleged to have 



404 



THE REAL MORMONISM 



been given by relatives and close friends of Spaulding (to wit, 
John Spaulding, his wife, Henry Lake and Aaron Wright), state 
that the aborigines of America were represented by Spaulding as 
descendants of " some of the Lost Tribes of Israel," " the Ten 
Lost Tribes," etc., which is a matter utterly foreign to anything 
taught or expressed in the Book of Mormon, from beginning to 
end. Such statement, however, forms the substance of a theory 
of the origin of these people, which is upheld by several writers, 
notable among them a certain James Adair, a trader among the 
Indians and observer of their habits, who in 1775 issued his book 
History of the American Indians, basing his theory on alleged 
resemblances in language, customs, etc., between the Indians and 
the Jews. It would be difficult indeed to argue that anyone, 
making such an erroneous statement as this about the contents 
of a book under discussion, could be credited with a memory of 
names sufficiently vivid to constitute a complete identification. 
Several others of these " witnesses," also, testify that Spauld- 
ing's professed object was to account for the great mounds and 
other aboriginal works found in various parts of America. 
Thus, from several of these " affidavits " we have the following 
statements : 

"They buried their dead in large heaps which caused the mounds so 
common in this country. Their arts, sciences and civilization were all 
brought into view, in order to account for all the curious antiquities 
found in various parts of Northern and Southern America." (John 
Spaulding) ; "He told me his object was to account for the fortifica- 
tions, etc., that were to be found in this country, and said that in time, 
it would be fully believed by all except learned men and historians." 
(Aaron Wright) ; " He said he intended to . . . give an account of their 
arts, sciences, civilization, laws, and contentions. In this way he would 
give a satisfactory account of all the old mounds, so common in this 
country." (Oliver Smith); "In conversation with Solomon Spaulding 
I expressed my surprise that we had no account of the people once in 
this country, who erected the old forts, mounds, etc. He told me that 
he was writing a history of that people." (Nahum Howard). 

If, as these and others have alleged, Spaulding wrote a book 
with the object of accounting for the mounds, forts, etc., to be 
found in various parts of the United States, as, for example, in 
Ohio, it is quite certain that some book other than the 
Book of Mormon, in its present form, at least, is intended by 
them, or else that the author became so interested in the devel- 
opment of his narrative that this main "object" entirely slipped 
his attention. No such " object " is in any sense apparent in the 
Book of Mormon, as may be discovered readily by any investi- 
gator. 

In another point do the alleged " affidavits " purporting to 
connect Mr. Spaulding with the Book of Mormon seem to fail 






THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 405 

of their object. This is in the statement that the " historical 
portions " of the book are by Spaulding, while the " religious 
portions " have evidently been added by another hand. Thus we 
have such alleged statements of old friends of Spaulding to the 
following effects: 

" I have examined the Book of Mormon and have no hesitation in say- 
ing that the historical part of it is principally, if not wholly, taken from 
the Manuscript Found" (Henry Lake); "I have examined the Book 
of Mormon, and I find in it the writings of Solomon Spaulding from be- 
ginning to end, but mixed up with Scripture and other religious matter, 
which I did not meet in the Manuscript Found" (J. N. Miller); "I 
have read the Book of Mormon and believe it to be the same as Spauld- 
ing wrote, except the religious part" (Nahum Howard) ; "I have ex- 
amined the Mormon Bible and am fully of the opinion that Solomon 
Spaulding had written its outlines before leaving Conneaut " (Artemus 
Cunningham). 

One need be suspected of no over-powering partiality for Mor- 
monism, or for Joseph Smith or any of his claims, to insist that 
such statements as the above are certainly " inspired." It is 
curious to what lengths of falsehood and downright imbecility 
people will go in the effort to ruin or discredit, if possible, some- 
one whom they happen to dislike. As if in evidence of the essen- 
tial unrighteousness of such an attitude, however, we find usually 
that such persons will over-reach themselves, to the discrediting 
of their claims. Never has this fact been better exemplified 
than in the present instance. If, as seems now an established 
fact, Solomon Spaulding actually wrote a romance of ancient 
America — several, as some tell us — it is very certain that 
neither Sidney Rigdon, nor anyone else worked that novel over 
into an alleged revelation from God, by the addition of a " re- 
ligious element," not present in Spaulding's story, as these wit- 
nesses are made to state. Nor is there any possibility that such 
a statement can be contradicted, since a mere casual reading of 
the Book of Mormon will convince any capable editor that the 
religious portions are as much a part of the whole, as are similar 
parts and passages in the Old Testament. There is scarcely a 
page in the entire book that does not contain passages and refer- 
ences of a distinctly and consistently religious character. In- 
deed, to assume that these are to be omitted to bring the book 
to the form in which it left the hands of its " author " means to 
emasculate every episode and to change the story into something 
so utterly different that even the " old neighbors " and lachry- 
mose relatives of the Rev. Solomon Spaulding must claim as 
great skill in literary criticism as we are asked to believe was 
possessed by Sidney Rigdon in the capacity of editor. 

As a matter of fact, as seems evident on this analysis of the 
" testimony " of these various persons, the real facts in the case 



4o6 THE REAL MORMONISM 

seem to be that, with the publication of the Book of Mormon, 
and the disputes and antagonisms that followed it, numerous 
people in the neighborhood of Conneaut, Ohio, and elsewhere, 
former friends of Mr. Spaulding, remarked that he had once 
written a romance of ancient America. It is not improbable, 
also, that several of them might have suggested that the Book 
of Mormon was merely this manuscript in print at last. Such 
a rumor coming to the ears of such men as Hurlburt, who had 
been dismissed from the Mormon Church, for alleged " immoral 
conduct," and E. D. Howe, who was, as we are informed, an- 
noyed because his wife and daughter had joined this church, 
constituted a temptation far too strong to be resisted that the 
story should be elaborated and given definite shape, as a real 
weapon for opposing, and, if possible, destroying Mormonism. 
Thus, although they could find many who could remember 
Spaulding and his book, they undoubtedly put into their mouths 
many things that had nothing to do with either the Manuscript 
Found, or the Book of Mormon. Among these, as we have seen, 
were the allegations relating to the " Lost Ten Tribes." The 
names, Nephi, Lehi, Mormon, etc., were evidently suggested to 
these " witnesses," and then " remembered " by them, as seems 
fairly evident when we consider that these few, and no others, 
are mentioned by and among the witnesses " testifying." In 
this matter of names it certainly seems strange that none of these 
people seem to have remembered that Nephi, whom they recall 
so distinctly, had a brother called Sam, whose name has attracted 
the notice and excited the ridicule of such critics as the Rev. 
Mr. Lamb, and several others professing a knowledge of Hebrew 
and Biblical names. This " English nickname," as Mr. Lamb 
calls it, was certainly quite as startling a feature as the phrase 
" It came to pass." 

In addition to all these matters, it is nothing short of absurd 
to allege that so many people as are quoted on this point could 
have had a sufficiently distinct recollection of a book that had 
been read to them at a time twenty or twenty-five years before 
the giving of their " testimony " to be able positively to identify 
it, when seen in print. Seeming to realize some such difficulty, 
one bitter and determined opponent of Mormonism, a certain 
Rev. C. Braden, resorts to the time-worn " character test," in an 
attempt to justify the " testimony " of these witnesses. He 
says: 

"Let us view the evidence we have presented, and settle several 
questions. I. Are the witnesses competent? II. Are they worthy of 
belief? III. What is established by their testimony? In determining 
the first and second queries there are several points to be weighed. I. 
Is the point at issue one that can be settled by testimony? No ques- 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 407 

tion is susceptible of clearer proof. The facts to be determined are : 
I. Did Solomon Spaulding write a certain MS? What were its con- 
tents? II. Did they have adequate means of knowing these facts? 
No witnesses ever had better. Mr. Spaulding was a preacher in poor 
health and out of employment, the very man who would attract com- 
pany, and of the highest character and intelligence. There was much 
excitement and curiosity over certain mounds that had been opened. 
Spaulding had taken great interest in the matter. He was writing an 
unusual book concerning this exciting topic. He was very fond of 
reading his productions to all who would listen to him. All this would 
secure him a circle of intelligent hearers. The singularity of his theme 
would cause his hearers to remember what they heard. To such hear- 
ers Spaulding read large portions of his MS. III. Were they com- 
petent in intelligence? N*o one can read their testimony and fail to see 
that they were persons of unusual intelligence — the very class of per- 
sons that such a man as Spaulding would attract around him — that 
would be interested in his theme — the very ones to whom he would 
read his work — and who would talk with him. IV. Were they per- 
sons of good character for truth and veracity? Their character can- 
not be excelled. Compare them with the gang of loafing, money-hunt- 
ing knaves and dupes, upon whose testimony the Book of Mormon 
stands. Their intelligence is infinitely above that gang of ignorant, 
superstitious, illiterate ignoramuses. . . . Never were witnesses more in- 
dependent and individual in their testimony. Each tells his story in his 
own way — is careful to tell no more — is careful where not certain 
to say so. Had they fabricated their testimony they would have stated 
more than they did." — The Bracken and Kelley Debate, p. 65. 

In order to exalt still more the character of these witnesses, 
who, as the chosen friends of "a preacher, in poor health and 
out of employment," must not be allowed to tarry under any 
cloud of suspicion, Mr. Braden makes the following sharp an- 
tithesis : 

" Contrast their evidence with that of the eight witnesses to the Book 
of Mormon. These witnesses do not testify separately, but sign a 
statement prepared for them. . . . They testified to what they did not 
know, and could not know. There is every evidence of collusion and 
perjury. The three witnesses are worse, for they testify to what an 
angel told them." [This is undoubtedly a most serious breach of good 
manners!] "The character of the entire twelve has been impeached. 
They had every motive to induce them to lie. They had concocted a 
fraud to make money and lied to carry it out. Our witnesses are ab- 
solutely free from all such fatal defects as those that utterly destroy 
the evidence of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon." — Ibid. 

While it is highly unnecessary to attempt to blacken the char- 
acter of " Mr. Braden's witnesses," about whom neither he nor 
any of the rest of us knows anything more than that some of 
them probably existed somewhere, and at some period, it is only 
necessary to reiterate that they were evidently laboring under 
several serious misapprehensions, as already indicated, and that 
even their impeccable characters and the friendship of a 
" preacher, in poor health " can not suffice to guarantee the evi- 
dence based on recollections, evidently so faulty in several par- 



408 THE REAL MORMONISM 

ticulars. As a matter of fact, the phrase, " And it came to 
pass/' is the only element in the collective testimony of these 
people that possesses any semblance of presumption that they 
might have heard or read the Book of Mormon previous to its 
publication. This seems rather meagre evidence upon which to 
rear the fabric of the Spaulding authorship of this book. Taken 
with the other things alleged by them, it is worthless. 

Allowing, however, that there is any basis in fact or allega- 
tion for the Spaulding theory, there is still a difficulty in ex- 
plaining the process by which this manuscript came into the hands 
of Joseph Smith, and as to what was the real motive behind the 
publication of it as a new revelation. There is, to be sure, a the- 
ory on the subject, which has been industriously elaborated by 
numerous anti-Mormon writers, and confidently presented by 
them as an established fact. It is a " weird tale," however, and, 
if related as explanation of any matter in which common sense 
had ever had an opportunity to shape opinions, it would be 
classed, without hesitation, among the " things that do not hap- 
pen." 

According to the first version of this story, the manuscript of 
Spaulding's Manuscript Found had been left with a Pittsburg 
printer by the name of Patterson, who, as related, had consented 
to print it, " as soon as Mr. Spaulding wrote a title page and 
preface." While waiting for these essential elements of a real 
book, which seem to have been beyond the ingenuity of this 
" preacher in poor health," the manuscript was allowed to lie 
nakedly and accessibly around the office, in such convenient 
places that an "utterly unscrupulous person," such as Sidney 
Rigdon, then slightly over twenty years of age, and already 
filled, seemingly, with high hopes and great ambitions, could 
easily find, read, become interested in, copy, or purloin it, and 
thus supply himself with the indispensable and pre-ordained in- 
strument for " setting the whole world by the ears." At first 
Rigdon was confidently declared to have been an apprentice of 
Patterson's; later, on disproof of this statement, an apprentice 
in a neighboring tannery, who spent so much of his employer's 
time " loafing about Patterson's printery " — there seems to have 
been a prodigious amount of " loafing " done in the course of 
founding Mormonism — that there were serious complaints ut- 
tered. It is supposed, moreover confidently asserted, that in the 
course of these " loafing expeditions," Rigdon either copied or 
stole the priceless manuscript, thus robbing the unfortunate 
Spaulding of the fruits of his years of toil, and really contribut- 
ing to his untimely death, at the age of fifty-five. All this shows, 
of course, the exceptional " heartlessness " and " selfish indifler- 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 409 

ence to human rights " that are at the base of the Mormon move- 
ment. It proves too much, however, as do all the " evidences " 
in this matter; since it is exceptional, to say the least, that an 
unlettered youth of about twenty years of age should so highly 
esteem a manuscript story that he would copy or steal and pre- 
serve it either for rereading, or on the theory, apparently, that 
it might be useful — later. 

This entire story seems to have been founded on a statement 
published in the Boston Recorder in May, 1839, over the name 
of Mrs. Davidson (formerly Spaulding's widow), but subse- 
quently traced to a certain Rev. D. R. Austin. It is another 
example of confident overstatement, quite worthy to rank with 
the other " affidavits," so familiar in the Mormon " controversy," 
as may be understood by any candid mind, not blinded by this 
absurd anti-Mormon prejudice. It is partly as follows: 

" Mr. Spaulding found a friend and acquaintance in the person of Mr. 
Patterson, who was very much pleased with it (the manuscript), and 
borrowed it for perusal. He retained it for a long time, and informed 
Mr. Spaulding that, if he would make out a title page and preface, he 
would publish it, as it might be a source of profit. This Mr. Spaulding 
refused to do. Sidney Rigdon, who has figured so largely in the history 
of the Mormons, was at that time connected with the printing office 
of Mr. Patterson, as is well known in that region, and, as Rigdon 
himself had frequently stated, became acquainted with Mr. Spaulding's 
manuscript and copied it. It was a matter of notoriety and interest to 
all connected with the printing establishment. At length the manuscript 
was returned to its author, and soon after he removed to Amity, where 
Mr. Spaulding died in 1816. The manuscript then fell into my hands, 
and was carefully preserved." 

As is scarcely remarkable, Mrs. Davidson immediately denied 
having written this " affidavit," and discredited many of its state- 
ments. Mr. Rigdon also addressed a letter to this newspaper, 
denying all knowledge of Spaulding, and stating that there was 
no printer named Patterson in Pittsburg, during his residence 
there. He also repeatedly denied the allegations of this story, 
asserting his firm belief in the " divine authenticity " of the 
Book of Mormon until the very day of his death. Nevertheless, 
as with all the persons connected with early Mormon history, 
Rigdon's alleged activities can be explained only by the theory of 
a superlatively bad character. He must have been a thief, they 
say, since the theory demands it; therefore, he must have been 
a liar also. Of course, a man who could conceive and carry out 
so preposterous a plot as is ascribed to him could be expected to 
do or say almost anything. Thus, in the development of the 
Spaulding manuscript romance, we are faced with the usual line 
of gossiping affidavits from a horde of utterly unknown, but, as 
we are assured, entirely impeccable personages, who seem to 



410 THE REAL MORMONISM 

have had unusually numerous opportunities to spy upon the 
secretive Sidney, and find out precisely what he was intending 
to do years before it was ever done. Among such, a certain 
Rev. John Winter, M.D., is quoted as stating that Rigdon had 
shown him a manuscript " history of the American Indians " in 
1822 or 1823, stating that it had been written by " one Spauld- 
ing, a Presbyterian preacher whose health had failed," and that 
he (Rigdon) " had borrowed it from the printer as a curiosity/' 
Another alleged affidavit, which is presented by Braden in the 
above-quoted debate with E. L. Kelley, is even more amusingly 
absurd, both in its anachronisms and local inconsistencies. Thus 
a certain James Jeffries, who was, of course, " an old and highly 
respected citizen " of Churchville, Hartford County, Maryland, 
is said to have uttered an affidavit in January, 1884, deposing as 
follows : 

" Forty years ago I was in business in St. Louis. The Mormons then 
had their temple in Nauvoo, Illinois. I had business transactions with 
them. I knew Sidney Rigdon. He acted as general manager of the 
business of the Mormons (with me). Rigdon told me several times in 
his conversation with me, that there was in the printing office with which 
he was connected in Ohio, a MS. of the Rev. Spaulding, tracing the origin 
of the Indians from the lost tribes of Israel. This MS. was in the office 
for several years. He was familiar with it. Spaulding wanted it pub- 
lished but had not the means to pay for printing. He (Rigdon) and 
Joe Smith used to look over the MS. and read it on Sundays. Rigdon 
said Smith took the MS. and said ' I'll print it,' and went off to Palmyra, 
New York." 

In spite of the strong presumption evident in this writing that 
this " old and highly respected citizen " had, in the course of 
years, confused his conversations with Rigdon with the numerous 
reports circulated about him and his doings — thus he transfers 
the " printing office " from Pittsburg to Ohio — Mr. Braden 
comments as follows: 

" ' Forty years ago ' would be in the fall of 1844, just after Rigdon had 
been driven out of Nauvoo. The Times and Seasons assailed him bitterly, 
that fall and winter, for exposing Mormonism. On his way from Nauvoo 
to Pittsburg, he called on his old acquaintance, Mr. Jeffries, in St. Louis, 
and, in his anger at the Mormons, he let out the secrets of Mormonism, 
just as he told the Mormons he would, if they did not make him their 
leader." — B. and K. Debate, p. 42. 

Although it is unnecessary to repeat many of these alleged tes- 
timonies, quoted in support of Rigdon's complicity in the assumed 
purloining and revamping of a manuscript by Solomon Spauld- 
ing, it is really astounding to observe the lengths and depths of 
improbability and absurdity to which the enemies of Mormonism 
will go, in their effort to uphold a theory which is essentially 
absurd and inconsistent. Thus, a certain Mrs. A. Dunlap of 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 411 

Warren, Ohio, as quoted by Braden, " deposeth and saith " that 
she was a niece of Rigdon, and while visiting at his house: 

" That in her presence her uncle went into his bedroom and took from 
a trunk which he kept carefully locked a manuscript, and came back, 
seated himself by the fire, and began to read. His wife came into the 
room and exclaimed : ' What, you are studying that thing again ? I mean 
to burn that paper.' Rigdon replied : ' No indeed you will not. This 
will be a great thing some day.' When he was reading this manuscript 
he was so completely occupied that he seemed entirely unconscious of 
anything around him." — Ibid. p. 45. 

Of course, no other manuscript than that by Spaulding could 
possibly interest Mr. Rigdon to the extent described, but the 
public does not know that, and can hardly be expected to accept 
it, without competent demonstration. Similarly inconclusive are 
the testimonies of some of his former associates, clerical and 
otherwise, among them Alexander Campbell, A. Bently, a cer- 
tain Z. Rudolph and his brother John, a certain Almon Green, 
and others, that for several years previous to the publication of 
the Book of Mormon he had been preaching Millennarianism, 
Christian communism, and other " advanced ideas," and had even 
mentioned that primitive pure Christianity should soon be re- 
stored. All these matters were then in course of agitation, par- 
ticularly the " restored primitive Christianity," which was the 
leading inspiration of the Campbellite sect. The additional fact 
that certain of these persons " distinctly remember " that Rigdon 
had also mingled with his teachings on these matters certain re- 
marks about " gold plates " and " ancient records " may be at- 
tributed to precisely such a confusion of event and rumor as is 
seen in the "testimony" of Mr. Jeffries, above quoted, and 
which is more or less inevitable in all attempts, even of honest 
persons, to recall happenings and conversations many years in 
the past. The fact is that merely incidental occurrences and 
conversations, as they must have seemed at the time, positively 
cannot be recalled by anyone with complete accuracy, after a 
long lapse of years. To claim that it has been done by certain 
persons, because of their " undoubted veracity," is merely to 
perpetrate still further absurdities, as we have seen already. 

Furthermore, as would be expected, we are not without good 
presumptive evidence that the most ordinary remarks, displaying 
mere interest in passing questions or issues, have been, in some 
cases, constructed into all kinds of " complete confessions " of a 
plot to hoax the public into a vital faith in religion. Thus, as 
confidently quoted by the same trenchant debater above named, 
we have the following " testimony " from another person whose 
word had " never been impeached." This is a certain Darwin 



412 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Atwater, said to have resided in Mantua, Ohio, who testifies 
thus: 

" Sidney Rigdon preached for us when the Mormon defection came 
on us, and notwithstanding his extraordinary wild freaks, he was held 
in high repute by many. For a few months before his pretended con- 
version to Mormonism, it was noted that his wild extravagant propensi- 
ties had been more marked. That he knew beforehand of the coming of 
the Book of Mormon is to me certain, from what he had said during the 
first of his visits to my father's some years before (in 1826). He gave 
a wonderful description of the mounds and other antiquities found in 
some parts of America, and said that they must have been made by 
the aborigines. He said that there was a book to be published con- 
taining an account of these things. He spoke of them in his eloquent, 
enthusiastic style, as being a thing most extraordinary. Though a youth 
I took him to task for expending so much enthusiasm on such a subject, 
instead of the things of the Gospel. In all my intercourse with him 
afterwards he never spoke of the antiquities or of the wonderful book 
that should give an account of them, till the Book of Mormon was 
really published. He must have thought that I was not the man to 
reveal to." — Ibid. p. 45. 

Very probably the principal difference between this gentleman 
and the others quoted with such confidence by the Spauldingites 
is that, as it seems, he had a clearer and better memory of pre- 
cisely what occurred. However, as was once said of another, 
and far more famous, gentleman bearing the name of Darwin, 
he is a " poor logician," as is shown, apparently, by his confident 
conclusion that Rigdon's enthusiasm about American antiquities 
revealed his knowledge of the Book of Mormon, previous to its 
publication. No one interested to reason fairly on the matter 
would consider such " testimony " competent to prove anything 
of the kind. Taken in connection with other statements, how- 
ever, it may be held to suggest strongly that Rigdon was at this 
period much interested in antiquities, and in speculations on the 
identity of the people whose existence they evidence. Any such 
interest argues no knowledge of Mr. Spaulding or his ultra- 
famous manuscript, since the subject was then, as now, a live 
one, and had been discussed by numerous writers. It is not 
impossible, also, that, following the lead of Adair, and several 
others before and after his day, he inclined to the belief that the 
Indians were actually the descendants of Jewish ancestors, the 
" Ten Lost Tribes," for example. Any such interest would move 
him to give the reported immediate attention to the Book of 
Mormon, when presented to him, as recorded, by Parley P. Pratt. 
Nor would his conversion be at all improbable under these very 
conditions. However, his mention of a " book to be published 
containing an account of these things " is no very evident refer- 
ence to the Book of Mormon, which contains no such account, 
except in the most general and incidental fashion. 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 413 

The assumption that Rigdon, like many other intelligent men 
of his section at the time, was interested in the antiquities, so 
common around them, and in the fashion prevalent in the early 
years of the nineteenth century, explains perfectly his reported 
conversation with Alexander Campbell and A. Bently, his 
brother-in-law. As given by the gentleman quoted above, this 
" testimony " is to the following effect : 

"The conversation alluded to in Brother Bently's letter [Millenial 
Harbinger, 1844, p. 39] was in my presence, as well as his. My recollec- 
tion of it led me, some two or three years ago, to interrogate Bro. 
Bently concerning his recollections of it. They accorded with mine in 
every particular, except in regard to the year in which it occurred. He 
placed it in the summer of 1827. I placed it in the summer of 1826. 
Rigdon, at the same time, observed that on the plates dug up in New 
York, there was an account, not only of the aborigines of this con- 
tinent, but it was stated also that the Christian religion had been 
preached, during the first century, just as we were then preaching it on 
the Western Reserve." — Ibid. p. 45. 

Even if we admit, however, that Rigdon's knowledge of the 
Spaulding manuscript is established, and that he may have edited 
it into the form now known as the Book of Mormon, the diffi- 
culties are by no means exhausted. The method of publication 
alleged to have been adopted by him is about as idiotic and pre- 
posterous as could be imagined by a sane man. Nor is there the 
slightest intelligible reason for supposing that any such line of 
conduct was followed; nor would any intelligent person think of 
crediting the " evidence " upon which it is based, were it not for 
the popular sentiment that " it must be true ; therefore is true." 

Briefly stated, the situation is about as follows: Mr. Rigdon, 
an ambitious, impetuous, irascible, and, otherwise violent man, 
filled with high thoughts and big ambitions, a subject of enthusi- 
asms, as suggested by the remarks of sundry friends, as quoted 
above, becomes possessed by some means, fair or foul, of a manu- 
script purporting to deal with the history of pre-Columbian 
America, and asserting that the aborigines of this continent are 
descendants of the Hebrew race. To this manuscript he adds 
certain " religious matter," with the intention of eventually foist- 
ing it upon the public as an inspired record. With such a man 
as Rigdon is represented to have been, previous to his identifica- 
tion with the Mormon Church, there is no just reason for assum- 
ing that his alleged intention of publishing any such book as the 
one in question was other than to give currency to the teachings 
embodied in it. If he was really its editor and reviser, it is per- 
fectly evident that he conceived and executed the " religious por- 
tions " with a very fair show of conviction as to their sufficient 
truth. Had his intention been merely " to make money," he 
could not have been ignorant of the fact that the ordinary 



4 I4 THE REAL MORMONISM 

methods of publication provide far better promise of good profits 
than any such eccentric and unprecedented scheme as he is sup- 
posed to have adopted. Evidently his enemies are not satisfied 
with making him out a scoundrel: they must also prove him to 
have been a fool. The theory that Rigdon, in his feverish de- 
sire to " get the book published somehow," turned the precious 
manuscript over to an unknown and unlettered youth of bad 
reputation, as alleged, who resided in a back-woods hamlet some 
two hundred miles away from his own home, and allowed him to 
print and publish it with credit as " author and proprietor," is 
precisely the sort of thing that would be labeled " ridiculous," if 
proposed as explanation in any other connection whatsoever. 

The situation is ably expressed in the words of Prof. Nelson, 
as above quoted. In commenting on the lame and prejudiced 
theory advanced by William A. Linn, in his attempted revamp- 
ing of the Spaulding hypothesis, he writes: 

" Mr. Rigdon must, moreover, be supplied with a motive for stealing 
it [the Spaulding manuscript] : This motive Mr. Linn finds in a deep- 
laid plot by Rigdon to start a new religion, in order to get revenge on 
the ' Campbells,' who got all the glory for founding the Disciple or 
Campbellite Church — a glory which Rigdon should have shared. 

" Rigdon must next have been attracted — somehow — to Joseph Smith 
as the very man to become the prophet of the new dispensation. Ac- 
cordingly he makes Rigdon prepare the copy of the Book of Mormon by 
injecting into the 'other' Spaulding's manuscript [there are supposed to 
have been several, as will be explained later] the religious dogmas of the 
Campbellites, and then makes him take it by installments to Joseph 
Smith; who, hid behind a screen, dictates it to a scribe, quite according 
to the verified account of its coming forth. Rigdon thereby becomes 
the 'mysterious visitor/ seen entering and leaving Joseph's house oc- 
casionally, in the early accounts by the Prophet's neighbors. 

" But now come two difficulties. The first is that Rigdon, whose 
motive for theft and forgery was to get even with the Campbells for 
robbing him of glory, consents nevertheless to play second fiddle to 
Joseph Smith and to be ' snubbed and ill-treated ' by the very tool of 
his successful villainy. Mr. Linn sees in the latter fact some deep 
mysterious power which the younger man exercised over the older, — 
quite in the dime-novel fashion. The other difficulty is the very con- 
sistent, logical, undeviating account by Joseph Smith of each succes- 
sive event in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. But this nar- 
rative, Mr. Linn points out, was not written till 1838, ten years after 
the translation of the Book of Mormon, and seven years after Sidney 
Rigdon joined the Church — time enough for the arch-plotter Rigdon 
to make the invention smooth and plausible!" — The Mormon Point of 
View, pp. 160-162. 

Although, as would be amply acknowledged in any other con- 
nection, there is not even " circumstantial evidence " that Rig- 
don ever saw or read any manuscript book of Solomon Spauld- 
ing, much less purloined such — even if possessed of prophetic 
foresight of his " row " with the Campbells twelve or fourteen 



The spaulding authorship theory 415 

years later — for he must have stolen the manuscript previous 
to 1816, if at all — there is no reason whatever for assuming 
that he ever saw or heard of Joseph Smith, previous to the pub- 
lication of the Book of Mormon and the organization of the 
Mormon Church. We have only gossiping and evidently " in- 
spired " statements of utterly unknown people for assuming the 
main acts alleged in either case. If he really stole this famous 
screed, how did he happen to do it, and why? If he turned it 
over to Joseph Smith for publication and exploitation, how did 
he happen to do it, and why? If he had happened to have ap- 
proached Prof. Anthon, for example, with a proposition to " go 
into the scheme," and been " indignantly repulsed," it might 
have been said that he had " aimed too high," but when he 
chooses as his confederate a man whose conditions of life would 
scarcely have marked him as a " likely " accomplice, he seems to 
have come dangerously near to risking the safety of his entire 
alleged project. To be sure, it has been stated by various in- 
genious persons that Parley P. Pratt, an early friend of Rig- 
don's and the agent of his conversion to Mormonism, according 
to accepted accounts, had made the acquaintance of Smith, dur- 
ing some of his wanderings over New York state, and had men- 
tioned him to the " arch-conspirator " as a possible accomplice. 
This solution of the " difficulty " may be correct, although there 
is not a shred of proof to support it, but the question naturally 
occurs as to why, supposing that Pratt was entirely in Rigdon's 
confidence, he did not himself essay the role of " prophet." His 
personality and educational equipment were certainly competent 
to the task, and his subsequent services to Mormonism, ending in 
his murder — this was in " revenge " for a crime of which a jury 
had already acquitted him — suggest that, if " in the plot," he 
would have carried out the character to the end. 

However, because, by the Spaulding theory, Rigdon, Smith, 
Pratt, and all their associates, must be made out a gang of 
criminal lunatics, not to say imbeciles, Rigdon is represented as 
doing everything precisely contrary to reason and common sense. 
Thus, in the carrying-out of his absurd plot, he is represented as 
having exposed himself repeatedly to the spying eyes of neigh- 
borhood gossips, all of whom, so it seems, were perfectly familiar 
with his appearance, name and reputation. His indiscretion in 
this particular is embalmed in another series of " affidavits," 
which profess to identify him with a certain "mysterious 
stranger " often seen around Smith's residence — although in 
this instance, at least, these deponents fail to specify the " loaf- 
ing," characteristic, apparently, of all of Smith's other associates. 
Thus, as though no one living in a country town can be allowed 



416 THE REAL MORMONISM 

to have visitors unknown to his idle-minded neighbors, anti-Mor- 
mon writers habitually insult the intelligence of the public by 
serving up a line of alleged affidavits, embodying nothing what- 
ever but vile and gratuitous rural gossip. Nor is this to be 
said because one objects to considering real evidence against 
Mormonism, Smith, Rigdon, or anything or any person what- 
soever, beside, but because the usual line of anti-Mormon accusa- 
tion involves such nonsense, lies, slanders, and downright in- 
decency, that, without the popular prejudice against this Church 
and people, one naturally concludes that we have to deal with 
simple " false witness," and nothing else. Thus, we may quote 
passages from one of the most abusive of anti-Mormon books : 

"A mysterious stranger now appears at Smith's residence and holds 
private interviews with the far-famed money-digger. For a consider- 
able length of time no intimation of the name or purpose of this per- 
sonage transpired to the public, nor even to Smith's nearest neighbors. 
It was observed by some of them that his visits were frequently re- 
peated. The sequel of these private interviews between the stranger 
and the money-digger will sufficiently appear hereafter. . . . The reap- 
pearance of the mysterious stranger at Smith's was again the subject of 
inquiry and conjecture by observers, from whom was withheld all ex- 
planation of his identity or purpose. . . . Up to this time Sidney Rigdon 
had played his part in the background, and his occasional visits at 
Smith's residence had been noticed by uninitiated observers as those of 
the mysterious stranger. It had been his policy to remain in conceal- 
ment until all things should be in readiness for blowing the trumpet of 
the new gospel." — Pomeroy Tucker {The Origin, Rise and Progress of 
Mormonism), pp. 28, 46, 75-76. 

The allegations included in these passages make a very " good 
story," but it is not so certain that they are worthy the considera- 
tion that has been accorded them hitherto. The Smith family 
may have entertained a " mysterious stranger " at frequent in- 
tervals — indeed, for all that can be said to the contrary, dozens 
of " mysterious strangers " — and they may have declined to 
gratify the vulgar curiosity of their neighbors, who inquired as 
to his identity. It is unnecessary, however, to make their re- 
fusal of this request appear as contumacy, in declining to answer 
" perfectly reasonable questions." Nevertheless, the public is 
still assured that the acquaintance between Smith and Rigdon, 
previous to the appearance of the Book of Mormon, is an estab- 
lished fact of history. Upon such " testimonies " as the follow- 
ing, however, is this contention presumably established. Thus, 
as quoted by Braden and others, we learn that a certain Mrs. 
Eaton, "wife of Horace Eaton, D.D., for thirty-two years a 
resident of Palmyra," deposed as follows : 

" Early in the summer of 1827 a mysterious stranger seeks admission 

to Joe Smith's cabin. The conferences of the two are most private. 

This person whose coming immediately preceded a new departure in 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 417 

the faith was Sidney Rigdon, a backslidden clergyman, then a Camp- 
bellite preacher in Mentor, Ohio." 

Whether or not, as the wording of this document might sug- 
gest, the calling of a " Campbellite preacher " is a suitable occu- 
pation for a " backslidden clergyman," it seems fairly evident 
that her husband's degree of D.D. so far establishes the pre- 
sumption of this lady's veracity that no one has ever considered 
it necessary to ask how it was that she knew this " mysterious 
stranger" to have been Sidney Rigdon, any more than how she 
knew that " this person " held " most private " conferences with 
Smith. There is altogether too much of the atmosphere of gos- 
sip about this statement to allow it any evidential value. Nor 
was Sidney Rigdon in any sense so striking a man in appearance 
that he could readily be picked out of a crowd, and identified as 
the very "mysterious stranger," about whose identity all the 
neighborhood gossips about Palmyra had been worrying their 
brains for several years. Rigdon was, if his portrait correctly 
represents him, a rather " ordinary-looking " person, who wore 
the familiar chin and cheek whiskers, with the lip shaven, as 
was the popular style among Americans during the early and 
middle decades of the nineteenth century. In default of infor- 
mation as to the way in which Rigdon was finally identified with 
Smith's visitor, we have no reason beyond this lady's advertised 
reputation for honesty and probity, to convince us that she was 
not mistaken. Certainly this is not evidence, either on Mormon 
matters, or anything beside. 

But Smith's old neighbors come forward as confidently in this 
Rigdon matter, as in revealing his bad and depraved character, 
as already mentioned. Thus a certain Abel Chase is quoted as 
saying : " I saw Rigdon at Smith's at different times with con- 
siderable intervals between them " ; and a certain Lorenzo 
Saunders assures us that, " I saw Rigdon at Smith's several 
times, and the first visit was more than two years before the 
Book (of Mormon) appeared." There are a few others of sim- 
ilar import, but none of them rise to the dignity of conclusive 
evidence to any candid mind, in the simple fact that they fail to 
give information as to how Rigdon was identified. 

If, however, such " testimonies " as these suffice to establish a 
presumption in favor of the Spaulding romance, it is not im- 
proper to adduce testimony, which is, at least, as conclusive on 
the other side of the " controversy." As given by Prof. Nelson, 
as quoted above, we have the following, which can doubtless be 
investigated, even at the present day, and, if possible, discredited : 
"As final disproof of Rigdon's authorship of the Book of Mor- 
mon, I present herewith passages from a manuscript Life of Sidney 



418 THE REAL MORMONISM 

Rigdon, written by his son, John W. Rigdon, and quoted by Roberts in 
his new History of the Church. The reader should first be informed 
that Rigdon, failing in his ambition to be President of the Church 
after the Prophet's death, withdrew from the body of the Saints on 
their exodus to the Rocky Mountains, tried to build up the church 
anew in Pittsburg, and, failing, retired to Friendship, Alleghany County, 
New York, where he died in 1876. 

" John W. Rigdon visited Utah in 1863 with a view to studying Mor- 
monism. He was not favorably impressed, and among other things, 
came to the conclusion that the Book of Mormon itself was a fraud. 
Accordingly, he determined, on returning home, to sift thoroughly his 
father's alleged part in getting it up. 

" ' You have been charged with writing that book and giving it to 
Joseph Smith to introduce to the world. You have always told me 
one story. ... Is this true? If so, all right, if not, you owe it to me 
and to your family to tell it. You are an old man and will soon pass 
away, and I wish to know if Joseph Smith in your intimacy with him 
for fourteen years, has not said something to you to lead you to believe 
that, he obtained that book in some other way than what he had told 
you. . . . My father looked at me a moment, raised his hand above his 
head and slowly said, with tears glistening in his eyes: 'My son, I 
can swear before high heaven, that what I have told you about the 
origin of that book is true. Your mother and sister, Mrs. Athalia 
Robinson, were present when that book was handed to me in Mentor, 
Ohio, and all I ever knew about that book was what Parley P. 
jPratt, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith and the witnesses told me; and 
*in all my intimacy with Joseph Smith, he never told me but the one 
story . . . and I have never, to you or to any one else, told but the one 
story, and that I repeat to you.' I believed him, and still believe he told 
me the truth.' 

" Mr. Rigdon also gives testimony from his mother, just previous to 
her death, corroborating that of his father, and an affidavit of his sister, 
Mrs. Athalia Robinson, who was ten years old at the time Rigdon joined 
the Church, and who testifies to the visit of the elders and of Parley P. 
Pratt's handing her father a copy of the Book of Mormon, saying it 
was a revelation from God. There seems to be really no grounds 
whatever for connecting Rigdon with, the Book of Mormon, save the 
desperate need of anti-Mormons to account for it somehow in con- 
sonance with a fixed notion that Mormonism is a false religion. Need- 
less to say, they are doomed to failure by the Rigdon hypothesis. In 
the meanwhile, the Book of Mormon is still here, and the field is open 
for new romancers to try their hand." — The Mormon Point of View, 
pp. 183-185. 

Certain Spauldingite theorists, realizing evidently the weak- 
ness of the arguments for Rigdon's complicity in the production 
of the Book of Mormon, have qualified their statements of the 
theory by admitting that " some other scoundrel " might have 
acted as editor, instead of this " backslidden clergyman." Their 
cause now demands the identification of an " original author," 
rather than a mere editor or reviser, since, by the recovery of 
the original autograph copy of Spaulding's Manuscript Found, 
the only book that he is known to have written, the Spaulding 
authorship of the Book of Mormon is effectually disproved to 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 419 

any competent literary critic or judge of characteristics of style. 
The evident weakness and inconclusiveness, also, of the several 
alleged " affidavits " given by Howe and others, which, as any 
intelligent reader can see, describe the Book of Mormon only 
very imperfectly, if at all, early gave rise to the theory that 
Spaulding had written several distinct romances of ancient Amer- 
ica, two of which, at least — the Nephite and the Jaredite " por- 
tions " — had been combined by some editor as integral parts of 
the Book. This theory served a double use; accounting at once 
for the deficiencies of the Howe affidavits, which, as acknowl- 
edged by the critics, " refer only to the Nephite portion " — we 
may allow them the use of this comforting supposition — and 
also for the fact that the manuscript obtained by Hurlburt from 
Mrs. Davidson's trunk, as related, bore no resemblance to the 
Book of Mormon, and was useless for the purpose to which they 
had hoped to apply it. But, with the formulation of the theory 
of several manuscripts, new depths of " infamy," " rascality," 
and imbecility are discovered and explored. Never, in the whole 
history of literature, had such crimes been committed, and such 
absurdities perpetrated — or alleged. Thus, the Rev. C. Braden, 
although a person of " iron conviction " and an abusive debater, 
evidently regarding his opponents with lofty disdain, does not 
hesitate to use such a line of argument as the following, as a 
bolster for his contentions: 

"In their conferences Imposter Joe told Rigdon of the existence of 
the other Spaulding manuscripts, then at Hardwicke, New York, in the 
house of Mrs. Davidson, formerly Spaulding' s wife and widow. [Evi- 
dently some of Smith's inquiring and veracious neighbors also owned 
' peepstones ' or had learned the secrets of wireless telephone ' out of 
due time/ thus enabling them to overhear and report on conferences 
held in a manner ' most private.'] The two concocted a scheme to steal 
them and thus destroy all likelihood of detection of the theft of the 
Spaulding manuscript, and exposure of the fraud. Smith was loafing 
at Hardwicke, in the summer and early fall of 1827, superintending 
a gang of men, who were trying to find a silver mine, on the farm of 
Mr. Stowell. He dug some wells in the town also, one for Stowell. 
September 21-22, 1827, Smith succeeded in stealing some of the Mor- 
mon manuscripts of Solomon Spaulding, perhaps Mormon manuscript 
No. 1, the one Miss Martha Spaulding had read a few years before 
at her uncle's when the trunk was in her care, and the first one 
Spaulding wrote, the one he read to most of the witnesses who lived 
in Conneaut, also Mormon manuscript No. 2, the one he told Smith 
he was writing before he left Conneaut, the one of which he read a 
portion to J. N. Miller — the one to which he added the Zarahemla por- 
tion. The theft of the manuscripts is the true interpretation of Smith's 
wonderful visions of September 21-22, 1827. Smith's neighbors say that 
he never mentioned his visions of 1820 and 1823 while in the state 
of New York, and his visions of September 1827, as first told, have 
no resemblance to his final version. He dressed up his hearing of the 



4 20 THE REAL MORMONISM 

existence of the Spaulding manuscripts into his second vision of Sep- 
tember, 1823." — Braden and Kelley Debate, p. 55. 

It would be highly unnecessary to quote such utterly unsup- 
ported nonsense as this, were it not for the fact that the story 
of Smith's supposed theft of these suppositious manuscripts has 
been mentioned by other anti-Mormon writers with similar con- 
fidence and elaboration. But there is not even a gossiping " af- 
fidavit " to uphold it. Nor does it explain why, with so favor- 
able an opportunity, Smith did not steal all of Spaulding's re- 
maining manuscripts, and thus effectually forestall all possibility 
of " detection " to the end of time. This could not be, however, 
since Hurlburt is reported to have obtained at least one other, 
which he is acknowledged to have given to Howe, who retained it, 
in spite of Mrs. Davidson's repeated requests for its return. 
But anti-Mormonism has learned many new " tricks " in course 
of " unraveling " the tortuous plottings and " loafings " of Smith, 
Rigdon, and others, and is fully equal to the emergency. Thus 
it is that Mr. Braden is able to out-Rigdon even Rigdon himself, 
and expose the full villainy of the plot. The following will show 
the depth of downright absurdity sounded by some of these 
people : 

" There can be no doubt that he [Spaulding] wrote it for the sole 
purpose of publishing it, and that he expected to make money by pub- 
lishing it. There is nothing wrong about this. But that his motives, 
he knew, were some of them wrong, is evident from the fact that he 
kept them from his wife and daughter [very evident], and also lied 
to them in regard to his object in writing the manuscript. Some of his 
expressions show that his motives were very questionable. He intended 
to assert that his book was copied from a manuscript dug out of the 
earth, or found in a cave. He expected to deceive the world except 
the learned few, and cause them to believe this falsehood that he 
intended to palm off on them; and also to induce all, but the learned 
few, to believe his book to be veritable history as much so as any 
history. So he declared to Miller of Conneaut, Wright, Cunningham 
and others. No wonder he concealed his purpose from his wife and 
daughter. Howe says on page 289 of his history, that he has a letter 
in his possession that proves that Spaulding was sceptical in his last 
days. If so we can understand his caricaturing the Bible in the way 
he did, in his romance. . . . 

" Mrs. Davidson declares that Hurlburt wrote to her from Hardwicke 
that he found the manuscript and would return it to her when through 
with it. He came to Howe with a lie and told him he only found a 
portion of an entirely different manuscript. He sold the manuscript to 
Rigdon and Smith, took the money and went to Western Ohio and bought 
a farm, and Mrs. Davidson and her daughter, Mrs. McKinstry, could 
never get a word of reply from him, although they sent several letters 
to parties who wrote; they gave the letters to Hurlburt. This answers 
the Mormon "Why did they not publish the Spaulding 'Manuscript 
Found ' ? " Because Mormons had gotten it into their possession by 
bribing Hurlburt."— Ibid. pp. 64-65. 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 421 

It is interesting to note that neither Braden nor any other 
writer of his " school " has ever attempted to offer justification 
for the assertions here made, although they have been variously 
repeated. That Hurlburt might have been " bribed," as sug- 
gested, is not impossible, but the question is, where did he 
get the manuscript which he sold to " Rigdon and Smith " ? 
Why had Smith not stolen it on his alleged " loafing " descent 
upon Hardwicke? The testimony of Mrs. Martha McKinstry, 
Spaulding's daughter, has already been quoted to the effect that 
she knew of a manuscript by her father " about one inch thick." 
This one Howe received, as will be shown later. How thick was 
the manuscript sold by Hurlburt? In spite of these difficulties, 
Mr. Braden sums the " facts established," as he alleges, un- 
der twenty-three heads of features peculiar only to the Book 
of Mormon and the Manuscript Found. They are as follows : 

"I. The plot and matter of Spaulding's 'Manuscript Found.' They 
(the affidaviting ' witnesses ') describe it clearly and definitely. It is pre- 
cisely the plot and matter of two books and only two of all books that 
have ever been written. (This assertion is made in spite of the definite 
mention by several of these witnesses of the ' Lost ten tribes of Israel,' 
which is a feature utterly foreign to anything expressed or suggested 
in the Book of Mormon.) 

" II. That it purported to be a real truthful history of the aborigines 
— the first settlers of America. 

" III. An attempt to account for the antiquities of America by giving a 
real history of their construction. 

" IV. It assumed that the Israelites were the aborigines of America. 

"V. That they left Jerusalem. 

"VI. Journeyed by land and by sea. 

"VII. Their leaders were Nephi and Lehi. 

"VIII. They quarrelled and divided into two parties called Nephites 
and Lamanites. 

" IX. There were terrible wars between the Nephites and Lamanites, 
and between the parties into which these nations divided. 

"X. They buried their dead after the awful slaughter in their wars, 
which were unprecedented, in great heaps, which caused the mounds. 

" XL The end of their wars in two instances was the total an- 
nihilation in battle of all but one, who escaped to make the record of 
the catastrophe. 

" XII. It gives a historical account of the civilization, arts, sciences, 
laws and customs of the aborigines of America. 

" XIII. These people were the ancestors of our American Indians. 

" XIV. The names, Lehi, Nephi, Lamanite, Nephite, Moroni, Mormon, 
Zarahemla, Laban. 

"XV. These in every instance are the names of the same persons or 
places or things, and have the same characteristics and history, etc. 

"XVI. Written in Scriptural style. 

" XVII. Absurd repetition of ' And it came to pass,' ' And now it 
came to pass.' 

" XVIII. One party left Jerusalem to escape judgments about to over- 
take the Israelites. 



4 22 THE REAL MORMONISM 

"XIX. History was written and buried by one of the lost people. 

"XX. The book was obtained from the earth. 

" XXI. One party of emigrants landed near the Isthmus of Darien, 
which they called Zarahemla, and migrated across the continent in a 
northeast direction. 

"XXII. In a battle the Amlicites marked their foreheads with a red 
cross, so that they could distinguish themselves (one another?) from 
their enemies. 

" XXIII. The book could be used as an addition to the Bible by an 
imposter, as an addition coming from America." — Ibid, pp. 65-66. 

As we have already read several of the most definite " affi- 
davits " upon which these large claims are founded, and have 
discussed the probability of so many people " distinctly remem- 
bering " such names and incidents after twenty years, and more, 
it is necessary only to add, therefore, that these twenty-three 
statements, so confidently given, have positively not been estab- 
lished by the " testimonies " quoted by Mr. Braden, or by any 
others. The mention of the " Ten Lost Tribes " and of a book 
written to " account for " the mounds, and other American an- 
tiquities, should go very far toward discrediting the "testimo- 
nies " offered by Howe and others, in the minds of any persons 
who have read the Book of Mormon. 

The Braden and Kelley debate was held in Kirtland, Ohio, dur- 
ing the four weeks between February 12th and March 8th, 1884. 
All that was said, therefore, about the Spaulding manuscript or 
its alleged contents was anterior to the recovery of the manu- 
script book, bearing the title Manuscript Found, and in the hand- 
writing of Solomon Spaulding, which occurred later in the same 
year. This incident may be described in the words of President 
James H. Fairchild of Oberlin College, as follows: 

" The theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon in the traditional 
manuscript of Solomon Spaulding will probably have to be relinquished. 
The manuscript is doubtless now in the possession of Mr. L. L. Rice, of 
Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, formerly an anti-slavery editor in Ohio, 
and for many years state printer at Columbus. During a recent visit 
to Honolulu, I suggested to Mr. Rice that he might have some valuable 
anti-slavery . documents in his possession, which he might be willing 
to contribute to the rich collection already in the Oberlin College library. 
In pursuance of this suggestion Mr. Rice began looking over his old 
pamphlets and papers, and at length came upon an old, worn, and 
faded manuscript of about 175 pages, small quarto, purporting to be a 
history of the migrations and conflicts of the ancient Indian tribes 
which occupied the territory now belonging to the states of New York, 
Ohio, and Kentucky. On the last page of his manuscript is a certificate 
and signature giving the names of several persons known to the signer, 
who have assured him that, to their personal knowledge, the manu- 
script was the writing of Solomon Spaulding. Mr. Rice has no recollec- 
tion of how or when this manuscript came into his possession. It was 
enveloped in a coarse piece of wrapping paper and endorsed in Mr. 
Rice's handwriting ' A Manuscript Story.' ... It is unlikely that anyone 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 423 

who wrote so elaborate a work as the Mormon Bible would spend his 
time getting up so shallow a story as this. There seems no reason to 
doubt that this is the long-lost story. Mr. Rice, myself, and others 
compared it with the Book of Mormon, and could detect no resemblance 
between the two, in general or in detail. There seems to be no name or 
incident common to the two." — Bibliotheca Sacra, Jan. 1885. 

That the manuscript is thoroughly identified as the famous 
Manuscript Found of Solomon Spaulding seems assured. On 
the fly-leaf is written the title, The Manuscript Found, and 
below it, as a sort of sub-title Manuscript Story. On the last 
page of the manuscript is an endorsement in the handwriting of 
Hurlburt, as follows: 

" The writings of Sollomon Spaulding proved by Aaron Wright 
Oliver Smith John Miller and others The testimonies of the above 
Gentlemen are now in my possession D. P. Hurlburt." 

Commenting on this fact, Prof. Nelson remarks: 

"The reader will call to mind that Hurlburt (alias Howe) prints 
affidavits . . . representing two of these men, John Miller and Aaron 
Wright, as saying that they immediately recognized Spaulding's story 
in the Book of Mormon by the similarity of names, and the recur- 
rence of the phrase. ' It came to pass/ Wright is represented as ex- 
claiming : ' Old " come to pass " has come to life again ! ' Yet here is 
Hurlburt's certificate of the fact that these men were acquainted with 
the real manuscript (that is to say the one found by Mr. Rice), in 
which none of these expressions occur at all. . . . Nevertheless . . . 
Mr. Linn proceeds to build up his hypothesis of another manuscript, 
and of Rigdon's theft and forgery; bolstering it by the affidavits of 
such men as John N. Miller and Aaron Wright, above quoted — men 
who are demonstrated to have sworn to lies. Linn's subterfuge is, how- 
ever, unworthy of credence for following reasons: (1) Spaulding 
never claimed anywhere or to anyone to have written more than one 
story about ancient America. (2) His wife refers constantly to only 
one — the 'Manuscript Found.' (3) His daughter, whose testimony has 
already been quoted, mentions no other, though she often went through 
his papers in the old trunk and handled this manuscript, which, she 
says, ' was about an inch thick and closely written.' (4) Hurlburt got 
permission to open this trunk, and found but one story — ' The Manu- 
script Found ' — which he turned over to E. D. Howe." — The Mor- 
mon Point of View, pp. 100, 164-165. 

In addition to the facts mentioned by Nelson, it is significant 
to notice that none of the Howe " affidavits," which are sup- 
posed to have been freely given by the " deponents," and in their 
own words, mention that there was a manuscript by Spaulding 
having the character of the one discovered in Honolulu. While 
it may be answered that it was unnecessary that any of them 
should mention it, it remans true, nevertheless, that a confusion 
between some of the incidents of this story, and of the other 
one, which they are represented as stating that they had heard 
read, must have occurred in the minds of some of them, if there 
really were two manuscripts. That they should have remem- 
bered this one more vividly than the other, which they are made 



424 THE REAL MORMONISM 

to state that he wrote, seems reasonable, in view of the fact that 
it possesses a distinct " local color/' as representing that the 
parchment manuscript containing the narration was found near 
Conneaut Creek. We might reasonably have expected that 
either Wright, Miller, or Oliver Smith, who, by Hurlburt's at- 
testation, as already seen, had identified the Honolulu-Oberlin 
manuscript as Spaulding's writing, would state definitely that it 
was not the one referred to. They do not appear to have done 
anything of the kind. 

In comparing the Manuscript Found with the Book of Mor- 
mon, the sole task before the critic is to determine whether or 
not the same author can be assumed to have written both; for 
it is evident, even on a most casual reading, that the latter book 
positively is in no sense whatever an elaboration of the former. 
Nor is it necessary to make too severe a criticism of this estab- 
lished production of Mr. Spaulding, although, in the opinion of 
President Fairchild, as quoted above, it is justly said that, " It 
is unlikely that anyone who wrote so elaborate a work as the 
Mormon Bible would spend his time getting up so shallow a 
story as this." Spaulding's manuscript shows nothing more 
clearly than the work of a confirmed amateur in literature. Al- 
though, as must be admitted, the author had undoubted talents as 
a story teller, and some elements of good imagination, he is evi- 
dently " working at another man's trade," and has succeeded in 
producing a composition singularly free from real literary merit. 
His episodes are of the simplest order, and his descriptions, 
either defective or overdrawn. Thus, while his plot is one 
susceptible of great developments, if attempted by such a writer 
as H. Rider Haggard, for example, he seems utterly incapable 
of producing anything but the most commonplace situations. 
His dialogues, orations — if they can be so called — and remarks 
show no talent for elaboration, nor are his characters at all 
interesting. 

In all these particulars, the Book of Mormon is the direct 
antithesis of Spaulding's story; being a very elaborate work, 
abounding in situations, some of which are well worthy to be 
called *' dramatic " in the best sense, and supported by well- 
conceived narrations, dialogues and several orations showing 
both profound thought and real human interest. Whatever may 
have been its origin, it is certainly not to be compared with the 
only proved production of Mr. Spaulding. No competent critic 
would decide that the two had been written by one hand. On 
the basis of far smaller " variations " of style do our " higher 
critics " conclude that the books of the Bible are " composite 
productions," and cut them up into " documents," supposed to 



THE SPAULDING AUTHORSHIP THEORY 425 

have been written by various hands. In another point, also, 
do these two books differ radically, and this is in the fact that 
they represent wholly different classes of composition. Spauld- 
ing's story is a simple narrative of travel and adventure, and 
a rather feeble one at that: the Book of Mormon professes to 
be an historical record, and carries out its character consistently 
throughout, as is shown in the " year-by-year " accounts in the 
Book of Helamon. Thus, whether or not we can agree with 
Prof. Nelson that this story " is no more like the Book of 
Mormon than the coarse yarns of a horse- jockey resemble the 
Sermon on the Mount," (p. 100), it is highly probable that if 
the labor and energy evidently necessary to produce so elaborate 
a work as the Book of Mormon had been expended on it, we 
might have had a story worth reading. Nor is it likely, assum- 
ing the Spaulding authorship of the Book of Mormon, that it 
was the book " heard read repeatedly," as is testified in effect 
of Spaulding's story, by any persons, " friends " or otherwise, 
unless they believed it to be a sacred record, or unless they 
were suitably remunerated for their time. Like all narratives 
in historic form, the Old Testament books among them, the 
source of interest is in what they are believed to involve, rather 
than in their immediate interest as literature. Thus: 

"Men who never read the Book of Mormon tell us that it was a 
novel, that a book received by hundreds of thousands as God's word 
was originally written as a romance, and yet not one of them reading 
it as a romance would ever read it half through. I should as soon ex- 
pect to see Swedenborg's works published in serial form to compete for 
fame with the Haut-Boy's Revenge. — Utah and its People by a Gen- 
tile (D. D. Lum). 

Apart from the evident wide differences of style between the 
two books, which, in any other connection, would be held to 
establish diversity of authorship, there is reasonably good pre- 
sumption that the Manuscript Found was Spaulding's sole 
literary effort. (1) It was evidently written at some period 
between 1809 and 1814, since in the former year he is said to 
have come to Conneaut, Ohio, in whose neighborhood the parch- 
ment manuscript, in " an elegant hand with Roman Letters and 
in the Latin Language," is supposed to have been found. (2) 
It may be held to have been, for this reason, the manuscript read 
to some of Spaulding's neighbors, as related, about 1810. (3) 
It accords with their descriptions to the extent of giving " an 
account of their (the aborigines') arts, sciences, civilization, 
laws and contentions," since six of its fourteen chapters (5, 6, 
7, 8, 9, 10) go into these very matters at great length. (4) It 
is of convenient size to be read repeatedly to complacent neigh- 



426 THE REAL MORMONISM 

bors, as testified, containing only 175 pages of " foolscap " paper, 
and being " about one inch thick.'' 

If it is not Spaulding's only manuscript story, it is certainly 
his first, as may be judged from the evident crudities of its 
style. The author of this story is not a trained writer, nor even 
one of experience in producing " copy." But, if this work was 
produced after 1809, when Spaulding was 48 years of age, there 
is very small chance that his talents so improved in the remain- 
ing seven years of his life that he would have developed ability 
to produce so highly elaborated a work as the Book of Mormon. 
His first book shows no traces of such talents, and it was rather 
late in life to develop them; also, there was very little time left 
to him. He must have worked night and day. Small wonder 
he " failed in business/' also that he died at the comparatively 
early age of fifty-five! 

Another fact may be urged as strong presumptive evidence 
that Spaulding did not write the Book of Mormon. This is 
that, instead of being, as Braden supposes, " a preacher, in poor 
health and out of employment," he turns out to be a rank " un- 
believer." As if his Manuscript Found were his sole literary 
output, he files with it a statement of belief, as published copies 
show, in which he definitely renounces Christianity. In it he 
says of the Christian religion: 

" It is in my view a mass of contradictions and an heterogeneous mix- 
ture of wisdom and folly — nor can I find any clear and incontrovertible 
evidence of its being a revelation from an infinite, benevolent and wise 
God. ... I disavow any belief in the divinity of the Bible and consider 
it a mere human production designed to enrich and aggrandize its 
authors and to enable them to manage the multitude." 

To be sure, there have been several men who have essayed to 
write books as " substitutes for the Bible," but judging from the 
temper of the " infidels " of Spaulding's time, and from his own 
state of mind, as revealed in this wholly irrelevant renunciation 
of his formerly professed beliefs — and he is usually mentioned 
as the " Reverend Mr. Spaulding " — he would undoubtedly have 
attempted no such " substitute " as the Book of Mormon, which 
is replete with piety of the most unmistakable description from 
start to finish. Also, as any capable critic can see, this element 
was positively not "added" by any reviser whatsoever, unless 
we allow that he might have amplified a few of the longer dis- 
courses and orations which are found in every section of the 
Book. We may, therefore, dismiss the Spaulding hypothesis 
with the traditional Scotch verdict, " not proven." 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

was the book of mormon produced by " automatic 
writing"? 

A later theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon holds 
that it was an original production of Joseph Smith, howbeit 
transcribed by what is known to psychological theorists as 
" automatic writing." It would be scarcely worth the while of 
any investigator of the subject to give this theory more than 
a passing notice, were it not for the fact that it has received 
the attention and endorsement of numerous persons, who, while 
devoid of psychological or scientific knowledge of any particular 
variety, still have the ear of the public, and can form opinion. 
The theory was first promulgated by the same Mr. Riley, who, 
as previously noted, also advanced the theory that Smith's 
recorded visions are to be explained as some kind of " ophthalmic 
migraines " or " visual aura of epilepsy," although himself in- 
nocent of any exhaustive or clinical knowledge of the varieties 
of the affliction on which he writes so confidently. It is need- 
less to say, that, if Mr. Riley's " proofs " are to be accepted as 
evidence that Smith originated the Book of Mormon, there is 
no reason for invoking the rare and doubtful phase of " auto- 
matic writing." Because, however, he was at work upon a thesis 
to explain Smith's performances on psychological grounds, he 
must needs invoke epilepsy to explain visions and experiences, 
which any " rationalist " might, otherwise, have attributed to a 
fervid imagination or a habit of dreaming vividly, and assume 
" unconscious mental activity " to explain the literary output of 
an undoubtedly active mind backed by an " adhesive memory." 
Of course, in the formulation of this theory, which, by its terms, 
must absolve Smith from the charge of conscious and willful 
w imposture," no account is made of any such states of mind 
— not necessarily diseased, in spite of the theories of various 
pathologists — as afforded to even so learned a man as Sweden- 
borg the elaborate dreams and visions recorded in his voluminous 
writings. 

Reduced to plain English, the " automatic " theory is merely 

427 



428 THE REAL MORMONISM 

a return to the one strongly suggested in the writings of several 
early critics of Mormonism, notably Alexander Campbell, that 
the " materials " for the Book of Mormon are only such as could 
be readily gleaned from the surroundings of the youthful Smith, 
as well as from the experiences and reflections of Sidney Rigdon. 
That is to say that it combines current theories of the origin, 
beliefs, etc., of the American Indians, with the " live questions " 
of the times — temperance, Free Masonry, baptism, anti-slavery, 
government, etc. — and a firsthand exposition of the Scriptures. 
Thus, from Campbell: 

"He decides all the great controversies: infant baptism, ordination, 
the Trinity, regeneration, repentance, justification, the fall of man, the 
atonement, transubstantiation, fasting, penance, church government, re- 
ligious experience, the call to the ministry, the general resurrection, 
eternal punishment, who may baptize, and even the question of Free 
Masonry, republican government, and the rights of man." — Delusions: 
an Analysis of the Book of Mormon, p. 13. 

Although, as is perfectly possible, most of the subjects here 
listed are quite as properly matters of interest throughout Chris- 
tian centuries, presumably also in the earliest statements of 
Christ's teachings, it is perfectly evident to a reader of the Book 
of Mormon that the assertions touching Free Masonry and 
temperance are rather overdrawn. As compared with the text 
of the book in question, it seems perfectly evident that the 
temperance and anti-Masonic movements of the early part of 
the nineteenth century are duplicated only in so far as they 
represent protests against the evils of secret combines of sup- 
posed unrighteous men and assertions of the superior virtues of 
abstinence. As properly could we conclude that the descendants 
of Jonadab the son of Rechab, who neither drank wine, nor 
dwelt in houses, were merely the Mohammedan Arabs of the 
present, who are credited with similar professions, transferred 
to antiquity by some imaginative author. Such comparisons are 
made only by persons who have a settled conviction that the 
book under discussion is and must be a " fraud," and that any 
argument based on resemblance, is competent to demonstrate. 

By similarly inconclusive and forced arguments and state- 
ments, does Mr. Riley attempt to assert that the representation 
of the Lamanites (aborigines) in the Book of Mormon is entirely 
derived from current knowledge and opinions on the Indians. 
Thus, he asserts with confidence, on the authority of Francis 
Parkman, " that the primitive red man had no idea of a great 
spirit, and that the observations of early writers were made 
upon savages who had been for generations in contact with the 
doctrines of Christianity " — although some such " contact " is 
postulated for the Lamanites in the Book of Mormon. His pre- 



" AUTOMATIC WRITING u 429 

tended criticisms of the representations of this book on the doings 
of the Lamanites may be judged from the following: 

" In Joseph's lucubrations the mounds which the Indians regarded with 
great reverence, and of which they had lost the tradition [foot note, 
"D. G. Brinton claimed that tradition among the Indians is untrust- 
worthy after three generations. Lectures at Yale University, 1898"], 
were built by Moroni as defenses of his people against the Lamanites; 
while the caches of arms were due to the penitent Lamanites burying 
their weapons rather than commit sin." — The Founder of Mormonism, 
p. 131. 

The accuracy of investigation involved in this remark may 
be judged by reference to the passages in the Book of Mormon 
cited by him. Thus, on page 305 (383?), Alma xxiii. 13, " these 
are they that laid down the weapons of their rebellion, yea, 
all their weapons of war " ; also on page 308, Alma xxiv. 25, 
" And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of 
war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung 
for the murders which they had committed ; and they came down 
even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose 
arms were lifted to slay them." As may be seen, the reference 
to " caches of arms " is very indistinct. 

Similarly, Riley states that Smith must have derived the ideas 
found in the Book of Mormon from some of the various authors 
who wrote on the Indian problem at and near his time. He 
attempts to uphold some such contention by a comparison with 
Josiah Priest's American Antiquities, as follows: 

" Moreover the contents of this book resembles that of the plates of 
Nephi. The chapter on the course of the lost ten tribes is suggestive 
of the wanderings of the Nephites. In 1841 the Prophet, reviewing a 
volume of Mormon evidences, noted four parallel passages drawn be- 
tween Priest's work and the Book of Mormon. The fact that the Mor- 
mon book was subsequently called in by Brigham Young, would excite 
a suspicion of Joseph's original plagiarism from Priest's American 
Antiquities, except that the latter appeared in 1833. However, Smith 
frequently printed in his newspaper curious notices of the current works 
on American archaeology, and pointed with triumph to various 'an- 
cient records/ as they were dug up from time to time." — Ibid. p. 127. 

Why a candidate for a scientific degree in Yale University, 
or elsewhere, should include such suggestions as this in his book 
is not evident. Similarly inconclusive is his allegation that " the 
advocate of a prehistoric deism . . . quotes opaquely from the 
Age of Reason (by Thomas Paine) and for his hardness of 
heart is punished " (p. 155). The attempted demonstration of 
this assertion by the parallel column method reveals the exceed- 
ing "opaqueness" of the quotation; the two passages (Alma 
xxx. 15, 16, 17, 18, 25, 23, 27, 28 and selected passages from 
Part I of Paine's work) consist of fragments of sentences dis- 
tributed over three pages in the Book of Mormon, being literally 



430 THE REAL MORMONISM 

torn from their context to example this alleged parallelism of 
thought, and of a lengthy section from the other book, con- 
sisting, however, for the most part, of sentences entire. 

When, however, Mr. Riley comes to his attempt to trace the 
sources of the theology of the Book of Mormon, which he de- 
scribes as "a hodgepodge of heterodoxy" (p. 134), he does 
nothing more effectually than to demonstrate himself the veriest 
amateur in theological literature. Thus, his elaborate flounder- 
ings through the mazes of " Calvinism," " Arminianism " and 
" Hopkinsianism," fortified with parallel passages, demonstrates 
nothing in particular about the Book of Mormon, since he does 
not undertake a serious and exhaustive analysis, which is the 
only thing that could demonstrate his proposition. In one case 
he attempts a parallelism between a compound of passages from 
I Nephi (xv. 31, 29, 35, 32, ^ 35) and another from the West- 
minster Confession (Chapters 32-33), which is evidently the 
same kind of " hodge-podge " as the other effort just noted. 
Such evidences are not conclusive, particularly when they reveal 
nothing more distinctly than that their author knows little, or 
nothing, of the department of thought with which he is at- 
tempting to deal. Nevertheless, he apparently sums his estimate 
of the " theology of the Book of Mormon " in the follow passage : 

"On the whole, the influence here exerted was more practical 
than theoretical; one cause of the rapid spread of Mormonism was 
its partial adaptation of the ways and means of Methodism. Out of 
the latter's marvelous organization of local and itinerant clergy, with 
their various conferences, societies and circuits, the founder of the 
church of the Latter-day Saints extracted a dislocated hierarchy with 
unprecedented functions. What were the offices and duties of Mormon 
apostles and elders, evangelists and bishops, priests and teachers and 
deacons, may be obscurely seen in the last of the fourteen books. 
Judging from a parallel revelation given in June, 1830 (?), this little 
book of Mormon is essentially a book of discipline and has presumably 
( !) been added as an afterthought. 

"Without entering the penumbra of minor creeds, some idea has 
been gained of ' the confusion and strife among the different de- 
nominations/ in Joseph's fifteenth year. It is now ten years later and 
he has done little to reconcile the differences; instead he has but trans- 
ferred to paper his own obfustication (slang!); his ancient record, 
like an old-fashioned mirror, gives back images vague and ill de- 
fined."— Ibi d. pp. 147-148. 

The attempt to derive the Mormon organization from the 
model of Methodism is merely silly. There is no resemblance 
between the two that does not hold for any two well-conceived 
organizations, such as the Society of Jesus and the German army, 
both of which have been compared to the organization of the 
Mormon Church, and in none too appreciative a spirit. 

In his effort to prove that the Book of Mormon is really the 



" AUTOMATIC WRITING " 431 

mental history of Joseph Smith, a " cross-section of his brain," 
in fact, the best evidence adduced is undoubtedly the close par- 
allel between the dream of Lehi, as recorded in the Book of 
Mormon (I. Nephi viii. 2-27) and a dream of his father, Joseph 
Smith, Sr., as described in a work entitled Biographical 
Sketches (pp. 58-59). These resemblances Mr. Riley explains 
in the following manner : " This quotation implies and reverts 
to ancestry; even more does it disclose environment." All this 
may be true, but it is also quite as reasonable that the elder Smith, 
in setting about to recount one of his vivid dreams, uncon- 
sciously borrowed many ideas from the account found in the 
Book of Mormon. A borrowing is assumed in either case, and 
there is no evidence that supports the one rather than the other. 
Mr. Riley also undertakes to identify the famous " transcript," 
labeled Caractors, as an example of genuine " automatic writ- 
ing," as follows: 

" As will be seen, the paper bears marks of being^ written under the 
influence of veritable crystal gazing. In that self-induced, trancelike 
state Joseph's involuntary scratchings would appear to him occult, 
mysterious, true revelations from heaven. For a scientific explanation 
of the matter there is no need to call in the activities of a ' second per- 
sonality,' but merely those of the subconscious self. The scrawl is 
analogous to the scribblings of the undeveloped automatically-writing 
hand, such as is found even among the uncivilized. If the ultimate solu- 
tion of this document is a problem for abnormal psychology, its make 
up is no great mystery. As the contents of the Book of Mormon can 
be traced to indigenous sources — the ideas which Joseph picked up 
in the Indian country where he lived — so it is with these characters. 
The more elaborate resemble the picture writing of the aborigines, such 
as would interest a boy. It is going too far to hunt for Greek and 
Hebrew letters, for the tables of foreign alphabets had not yet ap- 
peared in current dictionaries. [Foot note, " Noah Webster's Diction- 
ary of this date has only tables of moneys, weights and measures. 
Thus the pound sterling sign occurs in the top line of the ' caractors.' "] 
The job is home-made : if Joseph had not taken the matter so seriously, 
this might be considered an amusing burlesque on a farmer's almanac, 
for he has only half concealed the signs of the Zodiac, and those 
cabalistic aspects and nodes which may go with the planting of potatoes. 

" That which betrays the puerility, and, at the same time, the genuine- 
ness of the document, is the curious fact that the youth's own name 
appears twice in a sort of cryptogram. ... As is elsewhere shown, 
Joseph's condition, under the influence of his ' Urim and Thummim,' 
was semi-hypnotic. Now it is a commonplace of experiment that while 
in this state, which is hardly more than reverie, the subject often 
writes back-handed, or backwards, or even left-handed with the right 
hand. Now if the transcription be turned over and read through from 
the back there may be deciphered towards the right end of the third 
line, below ' Caractors,' first, the letters JOE, backhand and rather 
indistinct; and, second, the letters SO J, more upright and better 
formed. In other words, the youth, without knowing it, wrote his nick- 
name entire and half of his given name in reverse." — Jbid. pp. 84-87. 



432 THE REAL MORMONISM 

In spite of Riley's confidence in his solution of the situation 
involved in the discussion of this " transcript," it is desirable to 
notice that there is no evidence adduced, that it is certainly an 
example of " automatically-writing hand." One could as reason- 
ably claim that it is evidently copied from some original by a 
person unaccustomed to copying hieroglyphics of any kind, or to 
do any very neat or exact work with a pen. For this sugges- 
tion one might offer the evidence that, assuming the actual writ- 
ing was begun at the upper left hand end, as with all modern 
scripts, there is evidence that the writing was started with large 
figures and careful attention to details, while, as the work pro- 
gresses, the figures become smaller and less carefully formed, 
until, as one might assume, the last three lines are copied, not 
only smaller, but also much more rapidly, as though the writer 
had "got his speed." 

There are some other interesting situations involved in this 
document: For example, although evidently written from left 
to right, and from the top line down, there seems to be a sugges- 
tion that the text copied, or intended to be represented, was 
written from right to left. We might . gather this from the 
presence of the three black squares, in the second, sixth, and 
seventh lines, which seem to suggest some kind of stops, as 
between periods or paragraphs. The last one is on the left end 
of the seventh line. Similarly, several of the characters closely 
suggest forms familiar in the hieratic Egyptian, as, for example, 
the fifth figure from the right hand of the first line. This is 
probably the one referred to by Riley as the "pound sterling 
sign," but is far closer to the hieratic sign for " S." Similarly 
ill-judged is the remark that we see here the " signs of the 
Zodiac," which are " only half concealed." " Only half " must 
be equivalent to " very effectually," since careful search will 
enable one to recognize very few Zodiacal suggestions in this 
document. The first figure on the top line might be the sign for 
Pisces, were it not that the right hand curve is turned the wrong 
way. The fourth sign in this same line might be called Sagittar- 
ius by anyone in search of resemblances. Similarly, the fourth 
sign from the left end of line four might be held to represent 
the planet Mars, badly drawn, were it not for the fact that it 
shows a semi-circle, instead of a circle, and is thus a figure 
frequently seen in both Hieratic and demotic Egyptian scripts. 
The fifth sign from the left end of the last line might be held to 
represent the astronomical sign for the moon's nodes, or for an 
opposition of planets, but this figure, contrary to our friend's 
supposition, does not appear in " farmers' almanacs," hence must 
be from some other source. None of these signs seem to have 



AUTOMATIC WRITING " 



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434 THE REAL MORMONISM 

much concern with the "planting of potatoes." The contention 
that this document is copied from some Egyptian original, instead 
of being automatically written might be argued from a number 
of resemblances, more or less obvious. Not to delay with this 
view, however, it might be urged in opposition to Lamb's criti- 
cism of the " capital letter H," the second sign on the first line 
(also five times repeated), might be held to represent an 
amateurish effort to represent the essential lines of the hieratic 
figure of the crouching lioness, the symbol of " L." The other 
figures mentioned by Lamb, notably those held to resemble Eng- 
lish numerals, even the sign for ^4, the ninth from the left of 
line six, are not foreign in appearance to some signs to be seen 
in hieratic manuscripts. Riley's " JOe " and " SoJ " are, as he 
remarks, " rather indistinct," and are nearly the only real pre- 
sumption that he presents in favor of considering this document 
an example of " automatic writing," or simple fabrication. 
Such casual resemblances, of which many could be found in 
odd and foreign texts, need not be considered as over-significant. 
As a matter of fact, however, when, for the sake of argument, 
we begin to explain Smith's activities by the hypothesis of 
automatism, we are immediately brought face-to-face with a 
system of phenomena by no means definitely hostile to the claims 
made by and for him. This is true, because, while there are 
numerous theories to account for the phenomena observed under 
this condition, there is no clue to an explanation that shall cover 
all its phases. There are also various kinds of automatism, in- 
cluding perfectly unconscious activities of the several muscles 
and senses, as well as the writing habit. In the automatism often 
occurring with psychic epilepsy, for example, the acts performed 
consist sometimes of mere repetitions, as when the patient writes 
the same name and address several times in succession; some- 
times of ordinary acts done apart from the conscious participa- 
tion of the will, as in somnambulism. In automatic writing and 
automatic speaking there seems to be very often some apparent 
" alter ego," a real doubling of the personality, which furnishes, 
apparently, the excuse for the spiritistic explanation of a dis- 
embodied " control," or some kind of " telepathic " communica- 
tion with other intelligences. In default of exact knowledge of 
the causes and conditions of this phenomenon, many eminent 
psychologists have strongly inclined to the theory of a real " con- 
trol," apart from the person apparently active. Scientific ex- 
amination of the phenomena inclines, of course, to explanations 
involving only the individual self in question, as by the theory of 
two or more separate states of consciousness, really distinct from 
one another, as if appropriating various sets of cells or special 



" AUTOMATIC WRITING * 435 

areas of the brain. In discussing this matter, Prof. William 
James writes as follows : 

" In ' mediumships ' or ' possessions ' the invasion and the passing 
away of the secondary state are both relatively abrupt, and the dura- 
tion of the state is usually short — i.e., from a few minutes to a few 
hours. Whenever the secondary state is well developed no memory for 
aught that happened during it remains after the primary conscious- 
ness comes back. The subject during the secondary consciousness 
speaks, writes, or acts as if animated by a foreign person, and often 
names this foreign person and gives his history. In old times the 
foreign 'control' was usually a demon, and is so now in communi- 
ties which favor that belief. With us (Americans) he gives him- 
self out at the worst for an Indian or other grotesquely speaking 
but harmless personage. Usually he purports to be the spirit of a 
dead person known or unknown to those present, and the subject 
is then what we call a ' medium.' Mediumistic possession in all its 
grades seems to form a perfectly natural special type of alternate 
personality, and the susceptibility to it in some form is by no means 
an uncommon gift, in persons who have no other obvious nervous 
anomaly. The phenomena are very intricate, and are only just be- 
ginning to be studied in a proper scientific way. The lowest phase 
of mediumship is automatic writing, and the lowest grade of that is 
where the subject knows what words are coming, but feels impelled to 
write them as if from without. . . . Inspirational speaking, playing, on 
musical instruments, etc., also belong to the relatively lower phases 
of possession, in which the normal self is not excluded from conscious 
participation in the performance, though their initiative seems to come 
from elsewhere. . . . One curious thing about trance-utterances is 
their generic similarity in different individuals. ... If * he (the con- 
trol) ventures on higher intellectual flights, he abounds in a curiously 
vague optimistic philosophy-and-water, in which phrases about spirit, 
harmony, beauty, law, progression, development, etc., keep recurring. It 
seems exactly as if one author composed more than half of the 
trance-messages, no matter by whom they are uttered. Whether all 
subconscious selves are peculiarly susceptible to a certain stratum of 
the Zeitgeist, and get their inspiration from it, I know not ; but this 
is obviously the case with the secondary selves which become ' de- 
veloped ' in spiritualist circles. There the beginnings of the medium 
trance are indistinguishable from effects of hypnotic suggestion. The 
subject assumes the role of a medium simply because opinion expects it of 
him under the conditions which are present. . . . But the odd thing is 
that persons unexposed to spiritualist traditions will so often act in 
the same way when they become entranced, speak in the name of the 
departed, go through the motions of their several death agonies, send 
messages about their happy home in the summer-land, and describe the 
ailments of those present. I have no theory to publish of these cases, 
several of which I have personally seen." — Principles of Psychology, 
Vol I. pp. 393-394- 

It is interesting to read such a resume of this " very intricate 
phase of mental activity from the pen of so careful and tireless 
an investigator as Prof. James, and to find that there are very 
many phenomena that do not admit, apparently, classification 
under a theory of " secondary consciousness." It is perfectly 
well known that Prof. James was strongly inclined to accept 



436 THE REAL MORMONISM 

certain phases of the spiritistic theory, which involves, in effect, 
that he was willing to admit that some phenomena could possibly 
be explained by assuming the activity of some person or entity 
apart from that of the " medium " himself. This explanation, 
indeed, is a part of human tradition, as already suggested, and 
has been invoked to account for the alleged influences of angels, 
demons, divine personages, even of the spirits of the departed, 
long before the rise of modern spiritism. The theory of an extra- 
personal " control " of some order seems to occur strongly in 
cases wherein the "subject" or "medium" speaks or acts on 
a basis of knowledge quite foreign to his normal or conscious 
equipment, as when he becomes a good musician " under con- 
trol," although the reverse in normal conditions, or, when he 
speaks as if seeing or hearing things and persons at a distance, 
particularly when' he reports correctly, as occasionally happens, 
if the accounts of investigators are to be accepted. It is thus pos- 
sible to say that the very theory of control by an external person- 
ality, as assumed by Prof. Nelson, as quoted above, to explain 
the activities of Joseph Smith, may be justified, apparently, in 
great measure, by independent psychological investigation. Prof. 
James, in the work above quoted, describes at length a case of 
" automatic writing " which is singularly analogous to the one 
under discussion. He writes: 

"As an example of the automatic writing performances I will 
quote from an account of his own case kindly furnished me by Mr. 
Sidney Dean of Warren, R. I., member of Congress from Connecticut 
from 1855 to 1859, who has been all his life a robust and active journal- 
ist, author, and man of affairs. He has for many years been a writing 
subject, and has a large collection of manuscript automatically pro- 
duced. 

" ' Some of it/ he writes, ' is in hieroglyph, or strange compounded 
arbitrary characters, each series possessing a seeming unity in general 
design or character, followed by what purports to be a translation or 
rendering into mother English. I never attempted the seemingly im- 
possible feat of copying the characters. They were cut with the pre- 
cision of a graver's tool, and generally with a single rapid stroke of the 
pencil. Many languages, some obsolete and passed from history, are 
professedly given. To see them would satisfy you that no one could 
copy them except by tracing. 

" ' These, however, are but a small part of the phenomena. The 
" automatic " has given place to the impressional, and when the work is 
in progress I am in the normal condition, and seemingly two minds, 
intelligences, persons, are practically engaged. The writing is in my own 
hand but the dictation not of my own mind and will, but that of another, 
upon subjects of which I can have no knowledge and hardly a theory; 
and I, myself, consciously criticize the thought, fact, mode of expressing 
it, etc., while the hand is recording the subject-matter and even the 
words impressed to be written. If / refuse to write the sentence, or 
even the word, the impression instantly ceases, and my willingness 
must be mentally expressed before the work is resumed, and it is re- 



"AUTOMATIC WRITING" 437 

sumed at the point of cessation, even if it should be the middle of a 
sentence. Sentences are commenced without knowledge of mine as to 
their subject or ending. In fact, I have never known in advance the 
subject of disquisition. 

"'There is in progress now, at uncertain times, not subject to my 
will, a series of twenty-four chapters upon the scientific features of 
life, moral, spiritual, eternal. . . . Each chapter is signed by the name 
of some person who has lived on earth, — some with whom I have 
been personally acquainted, others known in history. ... I know noth- 
ing of the alleged authorship of any chapter until it is completed and 
the name impressed and appended. ... I am interested not only in the 
reputed authorship, — of which I have nothing corroborative, — but in 
the philosophy taught, of which I was in ignorance until these chapters 
appeared. From my standpoint of life — which has been that of Bib- 
lical orthodoxy — the philosophy is new, seems to be reasonable, and is 
logically put. I confess to an inability to successfully controvert it 
to my own satisfaction. 

" ' It is an intelligent ego who writes, or else the influence assumes 
individuality, which practically makes of the influence a personality. It 
is not myself; of that I am conscious at every step of the process. I 
have also traversed the whole field of the claims of " unconscious cere- 
bration," so called, so far as I am competent to critically examine it, and 
it fails, as a theory, in numberless points, when applied to this strange 
work through me. . . . The easiest and most natural solution to me is 
to admit the claim made, i.e., that it is a decarnated intelligence who 
writes. But who? that is the question. The names of scholars and 
thinkers who once lived are affixed to the most ungrammatical and 
weakest of bosh. ... 

" ' It seems reasonable to me — upon the hypothesis that it is a person 
using another's mind or brain — that there must be more or less of 
that other's style or tone incorporated in the message, and that to the 
unseen personality, i.e., the power which impresses, the thought, the 
fact, or the philosophy, and not the style or tone, belongs. For in- 
stance, while the influence is impressing my brain with the greatest 
force and rapidity, so that my pencil fairly flies over the paper to record 
the thoughts, I am conscious that, in many cases, the vehicle of the 
thought, i.e., the language, is very naturally and familiar to me, as 
if, somehow, my personality as a writer was getting mixed up with 
the message. And, again, the style, language, everything, is entirely 
foreign to my own style.' " — Ibid. pp. 394-396. 

This description and partial analysis of an unusual condition 
by a person, evidently intelligent and capable, gives the reader 
a very good idea of the conditions occasionally present in auto- 
matic mental action of several varieties. The phase mentioned, 
wherein foreign ideas are expressed in what this " subject " 
states are his own words and forms, is certainly significant in 
the present connection. Of course, in admitting that " posses- 
sion " or " mediumship " may be something quite other than 
some merely unusual and obscure phase of brain activity, we do 
no more than admit that the traditional explanation of the in- 
volved phenomena may be correct. This might involve the 
theory that all people have a certain " spiritual " or " psychic " 
sense or susceptibility — whatever one may call it — by which 



438 THE REAL MORMONISM 

impressions may be received of any intelligences or influences, 
embodied or disembodied, that may be capable of affecting it. 
Such may range in dignity from the stupidest among the de- 
parted, or the meanest of " evil spirits," to angels or divine 
personages. On this point Prof. James remarks: 

" I am myself persuaded by abundant acquaintance with the trances 
of one medium that the ' control ' may be altogether different from any 
possible waking self of the person. In the case I have in mind, it 
professes to be a certain departed French doctor; and is, I am con- 
vinced, acquainted with facts about the circumstances, and the living 
and dead relatives and acquaintances, of numberless sitters whom the 
medium never met before, and of whom she has never heard the 
names. . . . Many persons have found evidence conclusive to their 
minds that in some cases the control is really the departed spirit whom 
it pretends to be. The phenomena shade off so gradually into cases 
where this is obviously absurd, that the presumption (quite apart from 
a priori 'scientific' prejudice) is great against its being true." — Ibid, 
p. 396. 

In the last paragraph, of course, Prof. James bases his judg- 
ment on the assumption that all phenomena of similar character, 
and occurring under similar conditions, are to be explained on 
one theory. The facts mentioned may be held to represent merely 
a series of gradations in the w vividness " of the impressions 
originated in and received from a common source or environ- 
ment. Thus, admitting on his authority, as, apparently, we must, 
that the " French doctor " has the reported ability to discover 
facts unknown to the " medium " in her waking state, it is evi- 
dent that there is no one theory that can be invoked to explain 
everything. 

As already suggested, the Book of Mormon, considered as a 
literary production, might have originated in any one of several 
different ways — even by the assumed action of an invisible or 
distant personage upon the mind of its writer or " author and 
proprietor " — and have, possibly, the same character and con- 
tents. However, the real object of any study should be to dis- 
cover, as far as possible, the significance of the book to the 
movement supposedly based on its teachings, rather than to guess, 
merely whence it may have come, or how it happened to be 
written. Whatever may have been the part played by Joseph 
Smith in this connection, it is altogether certain that he was 
sincerely convinced of the truth of its teachings, and consistently 
adherent to them in all his published utterances. It is asking 
a little too much of popular credulity to expect belief in the 
statement that an " unlettered youth," such as he is represented 
to have been, should be able to take a work written by some 
other hand, and so thoroughly assimilate its teachings that he 
could become their faithful exponent. It is also nothing less 



"AUTOMATIC WRITING" 439 

than a deliberate insult to public intelligence to ask belief in the 
hypothesis that a youth, not only ignorant, but depraved, as they 
tell us, could have originated any such book, let alone devote his 
life to publishing its teachings. Similarly beneath contempt are 
the familiar stories, dating from Howe and Tucker, to the effect 
that Smith, having found some white sand, or a brick, covered 
it with a napkin or other rag, and on persuading his family that 
it was a " gold bible," such as was reported to have been found 
in Canada, remarked to a friend — a certain loquacious Ingersoll 

— " I've got the d d fools fixed, and will carry out the fun." 

Nevertheless, on the recognized theory that any argument is 
good when used against the Mormons, it is confidently served 
up by the latest critics of Mormonism, as if historically es- 
tablished. If Smith was a man possessed of ability sufficient to 
stir up all the antagonism, clerical and otherwise, that still per- 
sists, we may be logical in expecting him to be able to perform 
even more surprising things. 

Of course, as must be evident to any candid and unprejudiced 
student of the history of Joseph Smith and of Mormonism, the 
origin of all the bitter opposition and persecution, which has 
disgraced our history, lay in the mere fact that he, a man outside 
of the clerical profession — nor even officially connected with 
any of even the most insignificant of Protestant sects — actually 
had the " presumption " to claim divine revelation and guidance, 
in the work of founding a church and promulgating a gospel at 
variance with, and in condemnation of, all other bodies whatever. 
It was for this reason that the numerous persecutions of this man 
and his adherents were usually, if not always, led by ordained 
Protestant preachers, or launched by their direct instigation. 
Apart from this "breach of proprieties" — for his persecutors 
did not have the specious excuse of "polygamy" until some of 
their most brutal persecutions had been years in history — Joseph 
Smith holds precisely the same relation to the Church founded 
by him as has been ascribed, in effect, to all other " reformers " 
and founders of religious bodies. Some of these, like George 
Fox and Emmanuel Swedenborg — both out of the clerical pro- 
fession, hence both severely abused, criticized, and misrepresented, 
in the same manner as Joseph Smith — have made direct claims 
to divine revelation and guidance. Others, such as Luther, 
Calvin, Wesley, and numerous " reformers " of smaller im- 
portance, while making no such claim on their own behalf, have 
been credited with an authority and understanding of religious 
truths, which are not classed as of direct divine impartation 
merely because no such term has been applied to explain their 
activities. It remains, nevertheless, that, until within a very 



440 THE REAL MORMONISM 

few years, before the disintegration of Protestantism began, these 
men have been regarded by their respective followers as the 
true, authorized and sufficient guides to an understanding of the 
truths of God. They have had ascribed to them all the func- 
tions of prophets and apostles, except the right to be so called. 
Indeed, in view of the varied deportment of Calvin, and numer- 
ous other " Christian " lights, the charges of " ignorance " and 
" rascality " might seem to lie, not altogether on one side. If, 
then, the teachings of the Book of Mormon, of Smith, and of 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are not proved 
to be hostile, to Scripture and sound reason, they are entitled to 
the same respectful consideration and attention as are those of 
our Luthers, Wesleys, Calvins and other " prophets.'* If, as 
would not be difficult to prove, they are of a far more " practi- 
cal " nature, and even better calculated to meet the needs of the 
world, morally and sociologically, if no otherwise, the inference 
is that, in these respects, at least, they come nearer to the ideal 
of truth. But, as the truth of what a man teaches is not to be 
judged on the basis of knowledge regarding his personality, 
history or local reputation, — be these the best or the worst pos- 
sible — so a book is not to be judged as a "divine revelation," 
because of its " elegant diction " and " lofty flights " ; nor rejected 
in this same character, because of defects in these same par- 
ticulars. " Ripe scholars," and other varieties of fault-finders, 
are now busily picking flaws in the Bible itself, and gaining 
adherents, even among professing Christians — and many of 
these absurdly argue that the " higher criticism," so called, is 
laying the foundations of a " deeper and more vital faith." It 
is possible to find faults with any book, and condemn its literary 
and other qualities, just as the " higher critics " mangle the 
Bible. It is no argument. Obviously, an excellent method of set- 
tling such a dispute, and finding out the real truth of the claim 
of divine authority, supposed to be back of a book, is to apply 
the test prescribed in the Book of Mormon itself : 

" Behold I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, 
if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them . . . that ye would ask 
God, the eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not 
true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having 
faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power 
of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know 
the truth of all things." — Moroni, x. 3-5. 

No anti-Mormon has ever stated that he has followed this 
advice, and received no " testimony." This may be, however, 
because anti-Mormons are afraid that they might learn " some- 
thing disagreeable." 



NOTE I.— DANITES OR DESTROYING ANGELS. 

The stories persistently circulated about a murderous order among the 
Mormons, known as " Danites," or " Destroying angels," deserve some kind 
of brief notice in a book like this. As a matter of fact, in spite of the 
repetition of this story by all anti-Mormon writers, all on the same alle- 
gations at the start, there is no respectable evidence that any such order 
or society was ever prominent in Mormon affairs, or that it ever com- 
mitted the atrocities charged by enemies. The sole excuse for the tale 
in the beginning was the "affidavit" uttered by Thomas B. Marsh, and 
affirmed by Orson Hyde (page 102), which, however, was negatived by 
their subsequent return to the Church. The following account of the 
matter appears in the journal of Joseph Smith, among entries made some- 
time in the latter part of 1838: 

" While the evil spirits were raging up and down in the state (Missouri) 
to raise mobs against the ' Mormons,' Satan himself was no less busy in 
striving to stir up mischief in the camp of the Saints : and among the most 
conspicuous of his willing devotees was one Doctor Sampson Avard, who 
had been in the Church but a short time, and who, although he had gen- 
erally behaved with a tolerable degree of external decorum, was secretly 
aspiring to be the greatest of the great, and become the leader of the 
people. This was his pride and his folly, but as he had no hopes of ac- 
complishing it by gaining the hearts of the people openly he watched his 
opportunity with the brethren — at a time when mobs oppressed, robbed, 
whipped, burned, plundered and slew, till forbearance seemed no longer 
a virtue, and nothing but the grace of God without measure could sup- 
port men under such trials — to form a secret combination by which he 
might rise a mighty conqueror, at the expense and the overthrow of the 
Church. This he tried to accomplish by his smooth, flattering, and winning 
speeches, which he frequently made to his associates, while his room was 
well guarded by some of his followers, ready to give him the signal on 
the approach of anyone who would not approve of his measures. 

" In these proceedings he stated that he had the sanction of the heads 
of the Church for what he was about to do ; and by his smiles and flattery, 
persuaded them to believe it, and proceeded to administer to the few 
under his control, an oath, binding them to everlasting secrecy to every- 
thing which should be communicated to them by himself. Thus Avard 
initiated members into his band, firmly binding them, by all that was sacred, 
in the protection of each other in all things that were lawful; and was 
careful to picture out a great glory that was then hovering over the Church, 
and would soon burst upon the Saints as a cloud by day, and a pillar of 
fire by night, and would soon unveil the slumbering mysteries of heaven, 
which would gladden the hearts and arouse the stupid spirits of the Saints 
of the latter day, and fill their hearts with that love which is unspeakable 
and full of glory, and arm them with power, that the^ gates of hell could 
not prevail against them ; and would often affirm to his company that the 
principal men of the Church had put him forward as a spokesman, and 
a leader of this band, which he named Danites. 

"Thus he duped many, which gave him the opportunity of figuring as 
a person of importance. He held his meetings daily, and carried on his 
crafty work in great haste, to prevent mature reflection upon the matter 
by his followers, until he had them bound under the penalties of death 

441 



442 THE REAL MORMONISM 

to keep the secrets and certain signs of the organization by which they 
were to know each other by day or night. 

"After these performances, he held meetings to organize his men into 
companies of tens and fifties, appointing a captain over each company. 
After completing this organization, he went on to teach the members of 
it their duty under the orders of their captains; he then called his cap- 
tains together and taught them in a secluded place, as follows: 

" ' My brethren, as you have been chosen to be our leading men, our 
captains to rule over this last kingdom of Jesus Christ — and you have 
been organized after the ancient order — I have called upon you here 
to-day to teach you, and instruct you in the things that pertain to your 
duty, and to show you what your privileges are, and what they soon 
will be. Knew ye not, brethren, that it soon will be your privilege to take 
your respective companies and go out on a scout on the borders of the 
settlements, and take to yourselves spoils of the goods of the ungodly 
Gentiles? for it is written, the riches of the Gentiles shall be consecrated 
to my people, the house of Israel ; and thus you will waste away the Gen- 
tiles by robbing and plundering them of their property; and in this way 
we will build up the kingdom of God, and roll forth the little stone that 
Daniel saw cut out of the mountain without hands, and roll forth until 
it filled the whole earth. For this is the very way that God destines to 
build up His kingdom in the last days. If any of us should be recognized, 
who can harm us? for we will stand by each other and defend one 
another in all things. If our enemies swear against us, we can swear also. 
(The captains were confounded this, but Avard continued). Why do you 
startle at this, brethren? As the Lord liveth, I would swear to a lie to 
clear any of you; and if this would not do, I would put them or him 
under the sand as Moses did the Egyptian; and in this way we will con- 
secrate much unto the Lord, and build up His kingdom; and who can 
stand against us? And if any of us transgress, we will deal with him 
amongst ourselves. And if any one of this Danite society reveals any 
of these things, I will put him where the dogs cannot bite him/ 

" At this lecture all of the officers revolted, and said it would not do, 
they would not go into any such measures, and it would not do to name 
any such thing ; ' such proceedings would be in open violation of the laws 
of our country, would be robbing our fellow-citizens of their rights, and 
are not according to the language and doctrine of Christ, or of the Church 
of Latter-day Saints.' 

" Avard replied, and said there were no laws that were executed in jus- 
tice, and he cared not for them, ttiis being a different dispensation, a dis- 
pensation of the fullness of times ; in this dispensation he learned from the 
Scriptures that the kingdom of God was to put down all other kingdoms, 
and the Lord Himself was to reign, and His laws alone were the laws 
that would exist. 

" Avard's teachings were still manfully rejected by all. Avard then said 
that they had better drop the subject, although he had received his 
authority from Sidney Rigdon the evening before. The meeting then 
broke up; the eyes of those present were opened, Avard's craft was no 
longer in the dark, and but very little confidence was placed in him, even 
by the warmest of the members of his Danite scheme. 

"When the knowledge of Avard's rascality came to the Presidency of 
the Church, he was cut off from the Church, and every means proper used 
to destroy his influence, at which he was highly incensed, and went about 
whispering his evil insinuations, but finding every effort unavailing, he 
again turned conspirator, and sought to make friends with the mob. 

" And here let it be distinctly understood, that these companies of tens 



NOTES 443 

and fifties got up by Avard, were altogether separate from those com- 
panies of tens and fifties organized by the brethren for self-defense, in 
case of an attack from the mob. This latter organization was called into 
existence more particularly that in this time of alarm no family or person 
might be neglected; therefore, one company would be engaged in draw- 
ing wood, another in cutting it, another in gathering corn, another in 
grinding, another in butchering, another in distributing meat, etc., etc., so 
that all should be employed in turn, and no one. lack the necessaries of 
life. Therefore, let no one hereafter, by mistake or design, confound this 
organization of the Church for good and righteous purposes, with the 
organization of the ' Danites ' of the apostate Avard, which died almost 
before it existed." — History of the Church, Vol. Ill, pp. 178-182. 

NOTE II.— POLYGAMY AND THE LAW AS INTERPRETED BY 

CHRIST. 

On page 217 of the present volume the remark occurs that the institu- 
tion of polygamy, or plural marriage, as recognized, or allowed, by the 
Mosaic Law, was recognized by Christ Himself, and not repudiated. The 
evidence for this statement is to be found in such analysis of Christ's 
teachings on marriage and divorce, as are given in the little volume, " The 
Scriptural Doctrine of Divorce," by Edward Williams, A.M. This author 
adopts the thesis that the dicta of Jesus upon the subject of divorce are 
all framed in perfect harmony with the precedent principles of Jewish 
law, and are to be understood only in their relation to them. Commenting 
on the teachings involved in Christ's divorce dicta (Matt. v. 32; xix. 9; 
Luke xvi. 18; Mark x. 11-12), he says: 

" In every one of Jesus' dicta on marriage and divorce He is as surely 
combating an existing evil as enunciating a vital principle. Dr. Scott, a 
thoroughly conservative, and highly scholarly commentator, says (in loc. 
Deut. xxiv: 1) 'In the days of Christ the Jewish teachers, having con- 
strued this permission into a commandment, extended it to the most 
frivolous matters: so that a licentious mind could not desire more allow- 
ance. Hence, divorces prevailed to the disuse of polygamy and to the still 
greater hardship of the women who were sent away, one after another, 
under color of this law, on various pretexts, to make way for a new object 
of the roving affections.' 

"In support of the accuracy of this statement another commentator 
remarks, 'Josephus saith, "The law runs thus, He that will be disjoined 
from his wife for any cause whatsoever, as many such cases there are, let 
him give her a bill of divorce," and he confesseth that he himself put 
away his wife after she had borne him three children, because he was not 
pleased with her behavior.' Rabbi Hillel's interpretation of the Law seems 
to amount to an almost unlimited freedom in the repudiation of wives, 
and the familiar quotation from some unnamed rabbi, to the effect that, 
'if a man sees a woman, whom he loves better than his wife, let him 
divorce his wife and marry her,' may be considered a fair sample of the 
opinions current in Jesus' time. 

" It may be readily seen that Jesus' objection to such a practice as this 
is on perfectly Mosaic grounds ; for, in the first place, contrary to Mosaic 
Law, the woman is faultless, hence not divorceable; secondly, she is re- 
pudiated in order to make room for another wife, which is impiously 
contrary to the provisions of Exod. xxi. 10, which specifies : ' If he take 
him another wife; her food, her raiment and her duty of marriage shall 
he not diminish.' We can see, therefore, with how great consistency this 
practice of 'covering violence as with a garment' and 'dealing treacher- 



444 THE REAL MORMONISM 

ously' with a wife, operating, as it certainly did in Jesus' time, not only 
to iniquitously dissolve many marriage contracts, but also, and particularly, 
to practically annihilate the very institution of matrimony can be de- 
scribed by no gentler term than adultery. 

" In divorcing a legally faultless wife, in order that he may marry another, 
a man is declared guilty, not because of either the divorcing or the re- 
marrying — divorce, remarriage and polygamy are all allowed by the 
Mosaic statutes — but solely and entirely because the motive and object 
of divorce is the remarriage. For this reason the repudiating husband who 
does not immediately remarry is not accused of direct offence; his only 
fault being that in the act of divorcing a wife, apart from grave and 
sufficient reason, he causes her thereby to adulterate (Matt. v. 32), prob- 
ably in the event of her taking a second husband. The consistency of this 
dictum with legal principles is readily perceived when we consider that a 
woman illegally divorced is, in reality, still in coverture ; and that in 
contracting a union with another man, she is not married, but, technically 
and morally, adulterous. 

" To sum up, then, the occasions of the crime of adultery, as we have 
thus far discovered them, we find, on lines strictly Mosaic, that: 

" (1) A husband is guilty in marrying one woman after groundlessly 
divorcing another, in order to make room for that second woman. 

" (2) A wife so divorced is guilty in taking a second husband when not 
legally free herself. 

" (3) The second husband is guilty in marrying a woman, who, strictly 
speaking, is still another's wife. 

" If, however, as some hold, the Lord, in His dicta on divorce, is only 
advocating the original and essential ' indissolubleness ' of all ratified mar- 
riages, with reference to no law or practice whatsoever, it were difficult, 
indeed, to understand how it is that He makes adulterous a man marrying 
a repudiated wife — and his motives for so doing may have been of the 
noblest and most Mosaic character, to provide her a home and protection, 
also quite in harmony with modern laws on the subject, since he is marry- 
ing the ' aggrieved party ' — while the woman married by the repudiating 
husband is accused in no regard. To be sure, Mark (x. 11-12) incriminates 
neither the second wife of the repudiating husband, nor the second husband 
of the repudiating wife, when a woman has thus usurped the man's pre- 
rogative, but if, by comparison of his version with those of Matthew and 
Luke, we are to assume that those persons marrying the guilty and 
adulterous parties in such invalid divorce transactions are innocent of all 
offense, while those persons marrying the innocent and violenced parties 
are accused of adultery, we have a very remarkable pronouncement indeed, 
and one also utterly at variance with all ancient or modern principles of 
law. 

" But what light can the Mosaic Law throw upon this apparently ' con- 
tradictory' situation? Here the matter is only too simple, for we readily 
perceive that the second wife of the repudiating husband is technically 
guiltless, because that according to the Jewish Law polygamy was lawful, 
a fact which Jesus evidently recognizes, consistently preferring a plurality 
of wives to monogamy maintained by , a series of legally invalid and 
iniquitous repudiations. The repudiated woman's second husband is guilty 
of offense because, upon the strict grounds of interpretation that Jesus 
adopts he has taken to wife a woman still rightfully in bonds to another 
— and this by the old law was a capital crime." — Scriptural Doctrine of 
Divorce, pp. 3&-39, 45-46, 47. 



NOTES 445 

It is well to remind the reader that the method of divorcing recognized 
by the Mosaic Law, and mentioned by Christ in the passages relating to 
divorce, consisted merely in the giving of a " bill of divorce " to the wife, 
in accord with the provisions of Deut. xxiv. 1-2. It was, therefore, an 
act of repudiation, rather than of divorce in the modern judicial sense. 
The above analysis, which has strong claim to being accurate, establishes 
the fact that polygamy is recognized as an essential feature of Jewish law 
and custom. 

SELECTIONS FROM THE BOOK OF MORMON' 
THE VISION OF NEPHI 

I Nephi, Chapter II., 14-36. 

And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came 
down and stood before me; and he said unto me, Nephi, what beholdest 
thou? 

And I said unto him, a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other 
virgins. 

And he said unto me, Knowest thou the condescension of God? 

And I said unto him, I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I 
do not know the meaning of all things. 

And he said unto me, Behold the virgin whom thou seest, is the mother 
of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. 

And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the 
Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space 
of a time, the angel spake unto me, saying, Look! 

And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. 

And the angel said unto me, Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son 
of the Eternal Father ! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy 
father saw? 

And I answered him saying, Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth 
itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the 
most desirable above all things. 

And he spake unto me saying, Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. 

And after he had said these words, he said unto me, Look ! and I looked, 
and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men ; and 
I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him. 

And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron which my father 
had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, 
or to the tree of life ; which waters are a representation of the love of God ; 
and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love 
of God. 

And the angel said unto me again, Look and behold the condescension 
of God ! 

And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father 
had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet, who should prepare the way 
before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him ; 
and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost 
come down out of heaven and abode upon him in the form of a dove. 

And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power 
and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; 
and I beheld that they cast him out from among them. 

And I also beheld twelve others following him. And it came to pass 
that they were carried away in the Spirit, from before my face, and I 
saw them not. 



446 THE REAL MORMONISM 

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying, Look! 
And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels de- 
scending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them. 

And he spake unto me again, saying, Look ! And I looked, and I beheld 
the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld 
multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner 
of diseases, and with devils, and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and 
showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power 
of the Lamb of God ; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out. 

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying, Look! 
And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people ; 
yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw 
and bear record. 

And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross, and slain for the 
sins of the world. 

And after he was slain I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were 
gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb ; for thus were 
the twelve called by the angel of the Lord. 

And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld 
that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building 
which my father saw ! And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, 
saying, Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house 
of Israel hath gathered together, to fight against the twelve apostles of 
the Lamb. 

And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and 
spacious building was the pride of the world: and it fell; and the fall 
thereof was exceeding great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me 
again, saying, Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, 
and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

Mosiah, Chapter III, 5-27. 

For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, 
the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to 
all eternity, shall come down from heaven, among the children of men, and 
shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working 
mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame 
to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing 
all manner of diseases ; 

And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts 
of the children of men. 

And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and 
fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death ; for behold, 
blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wicked- 
ness and the abominations of his people. 

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father of heaven 
and earth, the Creator of all things, from the beginning; and his mother 
shall be called Mary. 

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the 
children of men, even through faith on his name; and even after all this, 
they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall 
scourge him, and shall crucify him. 

And he shall rise the third day from the dead ; and behold, he standeth to 
judge the world; and behold, all these things are done, that a righteous 
judgment might come upon the children of men. 

For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have 



NOTES 447 

fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died, not knowing the will 
of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned. 

But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God; for 
salvation cometh to none such, except it be through repentance and faith 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children 
of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that 
thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might 
receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, even 
as though he had already come among them. 

Yet the Lord God saw that his people were a stiff-necked people, and 
he appointed unto them a law, even the law of Moses. 

And many signs, and wonders, and types, and shadows shewed he unto 
them, concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spake unto them 
concerning his coming ; and yet they hardened their hearts, and understood 
not that the law of Moses availeth nothing, except it were through the 
atonement of his blood; 

And even if it were possible that little children could sin, they could 
not be saved ; but I say unto you they are blessed ; for behold, as in Adam, 
or by nature they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins. 

And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given, 
nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the chil- 
dren of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. 

For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth 
not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own 
souls, except they humble themselves and become as little children, and 
believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the 
atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent; 

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of 
Adam, and will be, for ever and ever; but if he yields to the enticings of 
the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint, 
through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, sub- 
missive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things 
which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit 
to his father. 

And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come, when the 
knowledge of a Saviour shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, 
tongue, and people. 

And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless be- 
fore God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith 
on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent; 

And even at this time, when thou shalt have taught thy people the 
things which the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, even then are they 
found no more blameless in the sight of God, only according to the words 
which I have spoken unto thee. 

THE DREAM OF LEHI 
I Nephi, Chap. VIII, 5-38 

And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white 
robe: and he came and stood before me. 

And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him. 

And it came to pass that as I followed him, I beheld myself that I was 
in a dark and dreary waste. 

And after I had travelled for the space of many hours in darkness, I 



448 THE REAL MORMONISM 

began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, accord- 
ing to the multitude of his tender mercies. 

And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord, I beheld a large 
and spacious field. 

And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable 
to make one happy. 

And it came to pass that I did go forth, and partake of the fruit thereof ; 
and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. 
Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the 
whiteness that I had ever seen. 

And as I partook of the fruit thereof, it filled my soul with exceeding 
great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should par- 
take of it also ; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit. 

And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my 
family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near 
the tree of which I was partaking the fruit. 

And I looked to behold from whence it came ; and I saw the head thereof 
a little way off; and at the head thereof, I beheld your mother Sariah, 
and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they 
should go. 

And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them ; and I also did say unto 
them with a loud voice, That they should come unto me, and partake of 
the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit. 

And it came to pass that they did come unto me, and partake of the 
fruit also. 

And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should 
come and partake of the fruit also ; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards 
the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them. 

And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me. 

And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, 
and led to the tree by which I stood. 

And I also beheld a straight and narrow path, which came along by 
the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood ; and it also led by the 
head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a 
world ; 

And I saw numberless concourses of people; many of whom were press- 
ing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by 
which I stood. 

And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the 
path which led to the tree. 

And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an 
exceeding great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced 
in the path, did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost. 

And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they 
came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did 
press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, 
even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree. 

And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree, they did cast their 
eyes about as if they were ashamed. 

And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of 
the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were 
in the air, high above the earth; 

And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female ; 
and their manner of dress was exceeding fine; and they were in the 
attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had 
come at, and were partaking of the fruit. 



NOTES 449 

And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of 
those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths 
and were lost. 

And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father. 

But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing 
forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; 
and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the 
rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit 
of the tree. 

And he also saw other multitudes feeling their way towards that great 
and spacious building. 

And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the 
fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads. 

And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. 
And after they did enter into that building, they did point the finger of 
scorn at me, and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we 
heeded them not. 

These are the words of my father: For as many as heeded them, had 
fallen away. 

And Laman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, said my father. 

And it came to pass after my father had spoken all the words of his 
dream or vision, which were many, he said unto us, because of these things 
which he saw in a vision, he exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel; 
yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord : 

And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, 
that they would hearken to his words that, perhaps the Lord would be 
merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto 
them. 

And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them 
of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; 
and he did cease speaking unto them. 

THE FRAILTIES AND THE FOOLISHNESS OF MEN. 
II Nephi ix. 28-38 

O that cunning plan of the evil one ! O the vainness, and the frailties, 
and the foolishness of men ! When they are learned, they think they are 
wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, 
supposing they know of themselves, — wherefore, their wisdom is foolish- 
ness, and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. 

But to be learned is good, if they hearken unto the counsels of God. 

But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For 
because they are rich, they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, 
and their hearts are upon their treasures ; wherefore their treasure is their 
God. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also. 

And wo unto the deaf, that will not hear ; for they shall perish. 

Wo unto the blind, that will not see; for they shall perish also. 

Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart; for a knowledge of their iniquities 
shall smite them at the last day. 

Wo unto the liar ; for he shall be thrust down to hell. 

Wo unto the murderer, who deliberately killeth ; for he shall die. 

Wo unto them who commit whoredoms ; for they shall be thrust down to 
hell. 

Yea, wo unto those that worship idols; for the devil of all devils de- 
lighteth in them. 



450 



THE REAL M0RM0NISM 



And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall 
return to God, and behold his face and remain in their sins. 

O, THAT I WERE AN ANGEL! 
Alma xxix. 1-9 

that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that 
I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake 
the earth, and cry repentance unto every people; 

Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, 
repentance, and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come 
unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face 
of the earth. 

But behold I am a man, and do sin in my wish ; for I ought to be con- 
tent with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me. 

1 ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, 
for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether 
it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, ac- 
cording to their will; whether they be unto salvation or unto destruc- 
tion. 

Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; or he 
that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good 
and evil, to him it is given according to his desires; whether he desireth 
good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience. 

Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than 
to perform the work to which I have been called? 

Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all 
the ends of the earth? 

For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation 
and tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that 
they should have ; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, 
according to that which is just and true. 

I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it: I 
do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath com- 
manded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instru- 
ment in the hands of God, to bring some soul to repentance; and this 
is my joy. 



INDEX 



Aaronic priesthood 

"appendages" of, 274 

founded, 44-46 

limitations of, 275 

ranks and offices in, 274 

scriptural authority for, 270-271 
Abolition sentiment of Mormons 
accounts for their persecutions, 

87 
Adam appointed to his mission on 

earth, 192 
compared to Christ, 198-199 
" federal headship of," 202 
" fell that men might be," 196 
first to receive the priesthood, 197 
God's contradictory commands to, 

198 
identified with Ancient of days, 

197 
identified with Michael, 197 
patriarch of the human race, 202 
regard for, peculiar, 200 
Adam-God doctrine, alleged, 200-201 
Adam-ondi-Ahman, Mo., founded, 

57 

"Address to the World" (1907) 
by the Church authorities, 335 

Adultery a capital crime, 219 

Affidavits, anti-Mormon, 12 

Ahura-Mazda, the good creator, 194 

Alter, J. Cecil, on Mormon coloniz- 
ing and cooperation, 136, 137, 
139, 140 

Altruism practiced by Mormons, 126 

"American type," 81 

" Ancient of Days " identified with 
Adam, 197, 199 

Anderson, Edward H., on Young 
Men's Mutual Improvement As- 
sociation, 298 

Angro-Manyu, the evil creator, 194 

Anthon, Dr. Charles, 27, 28, 29 

Anthropomorphic God taught in 
Bible 176, 178, 180-181 

Anti-Catholicism and anti-Mor- 
monism 347-349 

Anti-Mormon " candor," 4 

Apostasy an old charge, 167 

45i 



Apostasy, charged by Mormonism, 

7, 344 
Apostates, Mormon, vile charges 

made by, 99-100 
Apostles, the twelve, 282-286 
epistle of, 83-85 

Epistle at Winter Quarters (Flor- 
ence), Neb., 128 
equal in authority to the First 

Presidency, 283 
the twelve, founded in 1836, 283 
Athanasian controversy, 176 
Athanasian creed, 182, 188 
Atheism and " immaterialism," 178- 

179 
Atonement, the, 204-224 
general and particular applications 

of, 206 
operation of the, 205 
and righteousness, 207 
Augustine, Saint, 22 
Authority, localized, rejected by 

Protestantism, 166 
"Automatic activities," truth about, 

434-438 
" Automatic writing," theory of the 

Book of Mormon, 427-434 
"Auxiliary organizations," 296-310 

Bank, national, recommended by Jo- 
seph Smith in 1844, 93, 94 

Baptism for the dead, 229 

Baskin, R. N., anti-Mormon agi- 
tator, 338, 339, 340 

Beet sugar industry begun in Utah, 
132 

Benevolence, law of, 114-115 

Bennett, John C, 39, 69, 99, 100 

Berkeley, George, on matter and 
spirit, 177 

Birch, Elizabeth, on plural mar- 
riage, 257 

Bishop, double capacity of, 288 
office and duties of a, 275-277 

" Bishop West of Juab," his alleged 
sermon, 6 

Bishopric, an appendage to the 
Higher priesthood, 274 



452 



INDEX 



Black, Jeremiah S., Judge, on pro- 
posed legislation for Utah, 322 
quoted, 347 
on " political piety," 5 
on anti-Mormonism, 5 
Blenheim, Battle of, parody on 

poem, 348-349 , 
" Blood atonement," 72, 73 
doctrine of, explained, 220-224 
as a means of mercy, 223 
Board of Education, Church, 302, 

308-309 
Body of God, flesh and bone, 181, 

182 
Bogart, Rev., 4 
Book of Mormon, 3 
anti-Christian arguments used 

against, 36 
" coming-forth " of, 25-36 
compared to Bible, 36 
test of truth suggested by, 441 
theories on the authorship of, 

400-441 
Transcript from, discussed, 27-29 
" Transcript" from plates of, 431- 

434 
Translation of, 30, 32-35 

Booth, Ezra, conversion of, 63 

Boreman, Jacob S., Judge, anti-Mor- 
mon harangue, 323-325 
perverse decisions of, 363, 364 

Braden, C, Rev., debates with Ed- 
mund L. Kelley, 406, 407, 410, 
411, 412, 413, 416-417, 419, 420, 
421, 422 

Brannan, Samuel, Mormon, founds 
San Francisco, 143 

Bridger, James, scout, 129 

Brockman, Rev., 5 

Buddhism, influence of, on histor.- 
ical Christianity, 108 
karma doctrine of, 178 

Burton, Richard F., on plural mar- 
riage, effects of, 248-249 

Cabet, Etienne, Fourierite colonist, 
1 19-120 

Caine, John T., editor of Salt Lake 
Herald, 338 
on admission of Utah to state- 
hood, 345-346 
on Christian Industrial Home, 373 

Call, Wilkinson, U. S. Senator, op- 
poses the Edmunds-Tucker bill, 
368-369 

Calvin, John, 8 



Calvin, John, murder of Servetus 

by, 223 
rule of in Geneva, 83 
Campbell, Alexander, opinions on 

Book of Mormon, 428 
Cannon, Angus M., conviction of, 

for unlawful cohabitation, 356- 

357 
Cannon, George Q., 102, 323 
address on polygamy made by, 

339, 340 
on " gathering," 50 
on Joseph Smith's personal cour- 
age, 60 
Capitalists, desirable kind of, 81 
Carlin, Gov. Thomas, signs Nauvoo 

charter, 69 
Carlton, Hon. Ambrose B., on in- 
justice to Mormons, 6 
on anti-Mormonism and Know- 

Nothingism, 347-349 
on Mormon literalism, 174 
Catholic Church denounced by re- 
formers, 166 
methods of the, 108 
Catholic Apostolic Church, founded 

by Edward Irving, 270 
Catholics persecuted by " Know- 

Nothings," 347-348 
Cattle, improved breeds of, intro- 
duced by Mormon authorities, 
131 
Celestial glory or "kingdom," 232- 
233 
gods dwelling in the, 185 
Celestial marriage, revelation on* 

240-242 
Charity and religious benevolence, 

114-115 
Chastity among Mormon youths, 

154 
Christ, eternal deity of, 183 

the resurrected, 181, 182 

Christian Industrial Home, Salt 

Lake City, 370-377 

absurd stories circulated by man- 

f agers of the, 375, 376 
aims of the, 374 
building of the, 373 
Christianity, restoration of, oppor- 
tunity for, 167 
as stated by Christ, 108 
historical, defects of, 108 
Church assistance in irrigation proj- 
ects, 130-131 
new ideal of the, 83, 214-215 



INDEX 



453 



Church of England, Articles of 
Faith of, quoted, 181, 182 

Civil War avoidable, 88-89 

Clawson, Hiram B., sentenced for 
polygamy, 338, 339 

Clawson, Hiram N., letter to, on 
Utah penitentiary, 371 

Clay, Henry, 69, 91 
Joseph Smith's opinion of, 88 

Clothing manufacturing in Utah, 

133 

Colfax, Schuyler, anti-Mormon 
crusade of, 101 

Colonizing activities of the Mor- 
mons, 141-143 
misrepresented, 332 

Columbus, Christopher, 226 

Commerce (later Nauvoo), 111., 61, 
68 

Common Law, marriage under the, 

357 
Comte, August, religion of human- 
ity of, 123 
Conference, quarterly, of stakes, 

290 
Congress, U. S., reduction of, 

recommended, 92-93 
Consecrated property, law of, 53 
" Constructive cohabitation," a legal 

fiction, 359, 363 
Cooperation, demand of social re- 
organization, in 
made practical by Mormonism, 
139 
Cooperative Retrenchment Associa- 
tion, 300, 302 
Cooperative stores system, 133 
Coordination of individuals neces- 
sary for the common good, 107- 
108 
Council of spirits in heaven, 192 
Courts, Church, several orders of, 

293-294 
Cowdery, Oliver, 30, 32, 37, 38, 39, 
45, 67, 89, 100 
apostasy of, 40 
appointed apostle, 282, 283 
invited by Joseph Smith to re- 
turn to Church, 67 
receives the priesthood, 271 
second elder of the Church, 47 
stewardship appointed to, 53 
testimony of, in 1848, 46 
Crime record in Utah, 157-162 
Criminals, accused of being Mor- 
mons, 325 



Crocheron, Augusta J., on Mormon 

women, 255, 256 
Cummings, Horace H., on Mormon 

Church education, 308 
Cumorah, Hill of, 26 
Curtis, George Ticknor, argues 

Snow case before Supreme 

Court, 358-359, 360-364 

Dana, Dr. C. L., on epilepsy, 398 

Danites, 342 
charges on by T. B. Marsh, 101 
truth about, 102 

Darwin, Charles, on expressions of 
the emotions, 392 

Deacon, an appendage to the lower 
priesthood, 274 
duties of a, 274 

Deacons, quorum of, 279 

Dead, salvation for the, 227-231 

Declaration of Independence 
quoted, 95 
treason expressed in, 353 

Descartes, Rene, on "two sub- 
stances," 176 

Deseret, proposed state of, consti- 
tution for, 345-346 

Dispensations, doctrine of, 225-227 

Divine nature, partakers in, 184, 
185 

Doctrine and Covenants, Book of, 
contains revelations, 65, 170 

Douglas, Stephen A., assists Nau- 
voo charter, 69 

Dualism, a moral, in universe, 193- 
194 

Dyer, Frank H., denies allegations 
against Penitentiary, 371 

Echeverria, on epileptic symptoms, 

391-392 
Edmunds Law, 7 
amendments to, argued, 338-339 
construction of, vain attempts to 

obtain, 356-364 
injustices perpetrated under, 262- 

264 
protests against, 353~355 
result of sectarian persecution, 

337 
Edmunds-Tucker law, 365, 366, 

367-368 
Educational advantages of Mormon 

organization, 154 
Educational work of Joseph Smith, 

55-56 



454 



INDEX 



Edwards, Solomon, conviction of, 

for Unlawful cohabitation, 355 
Elder, duties of an 5 278 
Elders, quorum of, 280 
Eldership, an appendage to the 

Higher priesthood, 274 
Ellis, Charles, on cause of Mormon 

persecutions, 7 
on " temporal character " of Mor- 

monism, 212-213 
Emerson, R. W., repeats Smith's 

views on slavery abolishment, 

87, 350-351 , e , 

Employment agency work of the 
Mormon Church, 146-149 

Emigration, Mormon, invitation, 
79-80 

Endowment, a ceremony in Mor- 
mon temples, 216 

England, Church of, Articles of 
Faith of, quoted, 181, 182 

Enoch, the type of perfectness, 50 

Enoch, Order of, see United Or- 
der 

Epilepsy, symptoms of, in ancient 
saints, 390-397 

Equality and fraternity, fruits of 
Mormonism, 107-118 

Equality of three highest orders 
explained, 284 

Eternal marriage, 231 

Eternal punishment, nature and 
subjects of, 235-236 

Eusebius on the Seventy, 281 

Evil and sin, origin of, 235 

Fairchild, James H., President, on 
the origin of the Book of Mor- 
mon, 422-423 
Fall of man, 196-198 
and atonement, 202-203 
ordained by God, 192 
a step toward man's exaltation, 
202 
" Federal headship " of Adam, 202 
Felonies, total, in Utah in 16 years, 

159-160 
Felt, Louie, on plural marriage, 256 
Female Relief Society, 82 
Fichte, J. G., on "absolute ideal- 
ism," 177 
First Presidency as a court, 294 
Ford, Gov. Thomas, 91, 99 
on Mormon political conduct in 

Nauvoo, 328-329 
on Nauvoo charter, 69-70 



Fordham, Elijah, healed by Joseph 

Smith, 61-62 
Foreordination and preexistence, 

192 
Fourierite colonists at Nauvoo, 119- 

120 
Fox, George, abolishes clerical 

class, no 
France, election of President in, 

291 
Freeze, Lillie, on plural marriage, 

romantic aspects of, 265 
Freeze, Mary A., on plural mar- 
riage, 255 
Fulness of Times, Dispensation of, 

225 

Garfield, Prest. James A., 314, 315, 

324, 325 
Gates, Susa Young, on cooperation, 
in 
on founding of Y. L. M. I. A., 

300-301 
on plural marriage, effects of, 251- 
252, 258-259 
" Gathering," doctrine of, 49-50, 71 
Gathering-place for Israel, 80 
Gerrymandering, a form of political 

unfairness, 334 
Gifts of the Spirit, 168, 171-172 
God, doctrine of in Scripture and in 
theology, 178 
an exalted man, 182-183 
Mormon doctrine of, 165-166, 180- 

189 
personal communion with, 168 
Godhead, Constitution of the, 187 
Gods, the, in Mormon theology, 202 

the, place and powers of, 184, 185 
Gospel, reality or speculation? 167 
Government, Mormon idea of, 76-79 
Government of God, editorial on, 76 
Government, U. S., Smith's views on 

powers, etc., of, 92-94 
Governmental inefficiency, 90 
Governments, national and state, 93- 

94 
Graded instruction in the Sunday 

Schools, 302 
Grahame, Stewart, anti-socialist 

writer, 122-123 
Grant, Jedediah M., 220 

Harris, Martin, 37, 38, 39, 67 
apostasy of, 40 
loses pages of translation, 31 



INDEX 



455 



Harris, Martin, remark of, 15 
stewardship appointed to, 53 
visits Prof. Anthon, 27 
witness of Book of Mormon, 30 
Haun's Mill, Mo., massacre of, 318 
Hearsay evidence adduced against 

Mormons, 330 
Hegel, G. F. W., German philoso- 
pher, 176 
High Councils of the Stakes, 284, 

288 
High priest, duties of a, 278 
High Priests, quorum of, 280 
Holy Spirit, blasphemy against, 186 
definition of, 186, 187 
functions and activities of, 186 
sin against, 219-220 
" Home industry," watchword in 

Utah, 129 
Home, Isabella, on plural marriage, 

262 
Home, Mary I., organizes branches 

of Y. L. M. I. A., 302 
Howe, E. D., author of "Mormon- 
ism Unveiled, 14, 400 
Hurlburt, D. Philastus, 39, 99 
work of in preparing " Mormon- 
ism Unveiled," 14, 400 
Huxley, Thomas H, on " religion of 

humanity," 123 
Hyde, Orson, 89 
returns to the Church, 67, 103 
subscribes to Marsh's affidavit, 101 
Hypnotism theory of Joseph Smith, 
42 
stupid and vulgar, 59 
Hysteria, epidemic, 5 

Icarian colonies (Fourierite), 119- 
120 

Idealism of Joseph Smith, Jefferson, 
etc., 95-96 

Improvement Era, organ of Y. M. 
M. I. A., 299 

Incarnation of human spirit neces- 
sary to salvation, 191 

Indebtedness forgiven by Church, 

t j 83-85 

Independence, Missouri, settled, 57 

Irrigation begun in Utah, 130 

Irving, Edward, on Church organ- 
ization, 270 
on spiritual gifts, 172 

Israel, gathering of, 226-227 

Jackson County, Mo., as Zion, 50 



James, Prof. William, 61 

on " automatic activities," 435, 

436-437 . 
on hypnotism, 42 
on "psychological explanations," 

438 
on reflex effects of emotions, 392- 

393 
on " stream of consciousness," 177 
Jefferson, Thomas, idealism of, 95 

work of, 226 
John the Baptist, as an angel, 45 
"Joseph Smith or the sword," 76, 

101 
Jubilee of Church in 1880, 85 

Kansas, slavery struggle and colo- 
nizing in, 333-334 

Karma and immaterial spirit, 177 

Keeler, Joseph B., on Mormon 
priesthood, 272-273, 278, 288, 289 
on auxiliary organizations, 299, 
310 

" Keys " of the Higher Priesthood, 
284, 285, 286 

King, Hannah T., on plural mar- 
riage, 255 
remarks of, criticized, 352 

Kirtland, Ohio, settled, 50 
United Order founded at, in 

" Kirtland boom," the, 53-54 

Kirtland Safety Society Bank, 53- 

54 
Kirtland "Temple," the, 54 
Know-Nothingism and anti-Mor- 

monism, 338, 347-349 

Lamb, Rev. Mr., anti-Mormon 

writer, 32, 36 
" Land Law of Modern Israel," 127- 

128 
Latter-day Saints, 3 

Church, original members of, 47 
Law, abuse of, in Utah, 263-264 
Law, Wilson, 100 
Lecky, W. E. H., on the social evil, 

. 2 47 

Levissima damnatio, the lowest de- 
gree of salvation, 235 

Lincoln, Abraham, votes for Nauvoo 
charter, 69 

Linn, W. A., anti-Mormon writer, 

39 
Liquor traffic, Mormon vote against, 

155-157 



456 



INDEX 



Lombroso, Cesare, on " epileptoid 
nature of genius," 306 

Louisville, Battle of, poem by A. B. 
Carlton, 348-349 

Lucifer, Satan or, 193-194 
thrust down from the presence of 
God, 235 

Lum, D. D. ("a Gentile") on Mor- 
mon attitude to " civilization," 
322 

Lund, Anthon H., on popular voting 
of Mormon Church member- 
ship, 285 

Luther, Martin, 8 

" Lynching," authority for, quoted, 
90 

McKean, James B., judge, perver- 
sion of law by, 364 
Maeser, Karl G., general superin- 
tendent of education, 309 
Man, preexistence of, 190-193 

proper divine heritage of, 183 
" Manuscript Found," Spaulding's, 
discussion of, 424-426 
recovery of, 422-423, 424 
Marriage, Common Law, 357 
eternal, 231 

plural, see Plural marriage 
Marsh, Thomas W., affidavit of on 
"Danites," 101-103 
returns to the Church, 103 
Massachusetts Bay Colony com- 
pared to Utah, 341 
" Masterpiece of the ages," the, 217 
Material and perception, 175-179 
" Materialism," meaning of, 174-178 

Mormon belief in, 175-179 
Mather, Increase, on visions, etc., 

19, 20 
Matter, definition of, 175 
" Mediumships and possessions," 
treated by Prof. William James, 

435, 436-437 f , 
Melchisedek priesthood, authority 
for, 270-271 
founded, 44-45 
" appendages " of, 274 
held by prophets in Israel, 277 
ranks and offices in, 274 
taken from Israelites, 272, 277 
Michael, the archangel, identified 

with Adam, 197 
Migraine, explaining visions, 384- 
385 
relation of, to epilepsy, 386-387 



Millennium, preparation for the, 112 
Missionaries, sectarian, among Mor- 
mons, 335 

stir up persecution, 337-338 
Missouri, Mormon persecutions in, 
89-91 

blame for, 81-82 
Mitchill, Samuel L., 27 
Monogamy and plural marriage, ef- 
fects of compared, 244 
Mormon, Nephite prophet, 3 
Mormon, Plates of, 23, 24 
Mormon, Book of, see Book of Mor- 
mon 
Mormon, The (newspaper), on plu- 
ral marriage, 243-244 
Mormon altruism, 126 

benevolence unique, 137, 138 

Church compared to Mosaic state, 
218 

Church organization, 170 

Church organization, educational 
advantages of, 154 

Church, sociological significance 
of, III 

colonization record, 57 

colonizing and developing, 57, 
135-140, 141-143 

and "Gentile" criminality, 157- 
158 

industry and frugality, 135 
" Iliad," A, 83 

" menace," truth about, 347 

political activities set forth by 
Thomas Ford, 69 

type, the, 125 
Mormonism accepts Scripture liter- 
ally 165-167, 168 

advantage of, over opponents, 173 

champion of liberty, etc., 6 

claims of, 7 

compared to Evangelicalism, 7 

compared to other faiths, 52 

compared with Positivism, 123 

" an empire-founding religion," 83 

the end of history, 227 

Equality and fraternity, fruits of, 
107-1 18 

fruits of, 107-162 

individual salvation, rule of, 144 

means for elevating women, 250, 
261-262 

mission of, 100-110 

"more sinned against than sin- 
ning," 6 

and mysticism, 170-171 



INDEX 



457 



Mormonism, origin of name, 3 
practical brotherhood of, 126 
practical character of, 125 
principles of organization of, no 
promoting chastity in young men, 

*54 
rejects theological word-spin- 
nings, 165-166 
restored Christianity, 166 
revelation a necessary feature of, 

65, 165 
"temporal achievements" of, 212- 

213 . 

and temporal salvation, 1 19-144 
theological teachings of, 165-236 
transforming influence, 125 
vile charges against, 99 
Mormons and the crime record, 157- 
162 
Morality of, 151-162 
a peculiar people, 81, 226 
political jealousy of, 72 
temperance among, 151-153, 155- 

157 
toleration by, 73 
Moroni, an angel, 3, 33, 35, 45 

vision of, by Jos. Smith, 23, 24 
Morrill, Justin S., on " un-American 

theocracy," 342, 343, 347 
Morton, William A., on baptism for 

the dead, 230-231 
Moses, Law of, compared to Mor- 
monism, 218 
Murder an unpardonable sin, 219- 

220 
Mutual Improvement Associations, 

297-302 
"Mysterious Stranger," the, 416- 

417 
Mystical element in Mormon theol- 
ogy, 171-172 



Nauvoo, 111., charter of, 68-70, 99 
founded, 57, 68 
Fourierite colony at, 1 19-120 
industrial problems in, 81 
ordinances passed in, 72-76 
political conduct in, 328-329 
proposed as separate state, 91 
severe punishments in, 72 
Smith's rule in, 83 
temperance ordinance in, 74 
temple at, 71-72 
toleration edict in, 73 
vice-suppression in, 75 



Nauvoo Legion, military organiza- 
tion founded, 68, 70 
Nelson, N. L., Prof., " automatic " 
theory of, 436 
on disproof of Spaulding author- 
ship theory, 423 
on Rigdon's plot to publish Book 

of Mormon, as alleged, 414 
on Rigdon's profession of faith in 
the Book of Mormon, 417-418 
theory on translation of Book of 

Mormon, 32-35 
on Three Witnesses, 39-40 
Newman, Mrs. Angie, anti-Mormon 
agitator, 351, 352, 370, 371, 372, 
373, 376 
Newman, John P., Methodist 
preacher, debates polygamy 
with Orson Pratt, 350 
Nielson, Hans, indicted for two of- 
fenses on same facts, 365-366 
Non-conformity in America, 341- 
342 

Offices, candidates for, appointed by 

Presidency, 285, 291 
Organization, historic neglect of, 
211 
of church membership rejected by 

Protestants, 166 
the, of the Mormon Church, 269- 

295 
Mormon, advantages of, 217 
of Mormon Church compared to 
United States government, 289, 
291 
Mormon, efficiency of, 269 
for Church first mentioned, 52 
Mormon, a means of righteous- 
ness, 210 
Mormon, religious significance of, 

210 
sacredness of, 201 

Paine, Thomas, idealism of, 95, 96 

views of, referred to, 429 
Paraguay, socialist colonies in, 122 
Parents' classes in Sunday schools, 

305-307 
Parrish, Warren, embezzles funds 

of Kirtland Bank, 53 
Patten, David W., dying sayings of, 

58,66 
Paul, St., on government, 79 
Peculiar people, a, real idea of the 

Church, 214-215 



458 



INDEX 



Penrose, Charles W., on "blood 

atonement," 221-222, 223, 224 
Perdition, a name of Lucifer, 235 
Perpetual Immigrating Fund Com- 
pany, 85, 134 
Persecution, character of, 18 
Persecutions, Mediaeval, explained, 

222 
Persecutions of Mormons, 4 
Peterson, Sarah A., on plural mar- 
riage, 257 
Phelps, William W., 55 
returns to Church, 67 
" Philanthropy," effects of, 264 
Piexotto, Doctor, Hebrew instruc- 
tor, 56 
Plural Marriage, 6, 7 
called unrighteous, 217 
discussion and explanation of, 

239-266 
great occasion for criticism, 239 
healthy posterity produced by, 

248-249 
not condemned in the Bible, 217, 

247 
and mutual love, 251, 252, 266 
a sacred covenant, 239-240 
to be sanctioned by priesthood, 

240 
social evil neutralized by, 245-248 
social significance of, 242-249 
sufferings of women under, 252- 

253 
upheld by women, 250-266 
Political activities, alleged, 327-349 
" Political menace " of Mormonism, 

.329-330, 331-332 
Politics, corrupt, in America, 332 
Polygamy, see Plural Marriage. 
Polygyny, see Plural Marriage 
" Polytheism," Mormon, 202 
Popular rule in Mormon Church, 

285-286 
Positivism and Mormonism com- 
pared, 123 
Poverty, abolishment of, 111-114 
Powers, Orlando W., Judge, unjust 

decisions of, 355 
Pratt, Orson, 40 
debates polygamy with Dr. New- 
man, 350 
on atonement, 206-207 
on materialism, 175, 179 
Pratt, Parley P., 49 
alleged part of, in plot to publish 
Book of Mormon, 415 



Pratt, Parley P., on character of 
theology, 170-171 
on courage of Joseph Smith, 60 
on " materialistic conception " of 

God, 180 
on resurrections, 231-232 
on theology as God-science, 216 
Pratt, Dr. Romania B., on perver- 
sions of laws against polygamy, 
263-264 
Preexistence of the human spirit, 

190-193 
and foreordination, 192 
Presidency, charges against, how 
preferred, 287-288 
composed of president and two 
counselors, a peculiar feature of 
all Mormon organizations, 279 
the First, constitution and duties 
of, 286-288 
" Presidency in Heaven," the God- 
head, 201 
Presiding bishop to be a descendant 
of Aaron, 276 
duties of, 276-277 
Priest, duties of a, 274-275 

use of the word, 273 
Priest, Josiah, work of, on Ameri- 
can antiquities, referred to, 429 
Priesthood, benefits of the, 217 
defined, 272-273, 342 
first conferred on Adam, 197 
lesser, an " appendage," 273 
Mormon idea of, and its scriptural 
authority, 270 
Priests, Levitical, quorum of, 280 
Primary Association, 302, 307-308 
Prison reform, Joseph Smith on, 

93,94 
Protestant clergy, futility of, no 

in disorderly mobs, 343 
Protestantism, abuse of Catholic 

Church by, 166 

aims and defects of, 108 
dissensions of, 166-167 
doctrinal compromises in, 166 
errors of, on righteousness and 

faith, 207-208 
founded on " seditious " activities, 

340-342 

Quakers, 3, no 

Quincy, Josiah, eulogizes Joseph 
Smith, 12 
on Joseph Smith's anti-slavery 
views, 87-90 



INDEX 



459 



Quincy, Josiah, on Joseph Smith's 
appearance and manners, 64 
on Joseph Smith's good nature 

and dignity, 64 
on " mastering force " of Joseph 

Smith, 66 
quoted, 83 
Quorum, Mormon use of the word, 

defined, 279 
Quorum membership, total, 295 
Quorums, several orders of, in the 
Church, 279-287 

Reaction in sociological theories, 124 

Reformers, Protestant, aims of, 108 

" Reforming paranoia," 89 

Relief Society, 145 
address to, 82 
women's, 296-297 

Religion, kind of, needed now, 109 

Religion necessary basis for true 
social reorganization, 107 
and " other-worldliness," 108 
supremacy of, in sociology, 124 
trial definition of, 124 

Religion Class, the, 302, 310 

Religious liberty guaranteed in 
Nauvoo, 73 
guaranteed in constitution of 
Deseret, 345-346 

Religious test for Utah proposed by 
sectarian agitators, 346 

Renan, Ernest, on "case of St. 
Paul," 396 

Restoration of Christianity, need of, 
an old idea, 166 

Restored revelation explains perse- 
cutions of Mormons, 169 

Resurrection, doctrine of the, 191- 
192, 231-232 

Resurrection body of Christ, 181, 
182 

Revelation continuous and con- 
stant, 170 
Mormon esteem for, 165 

Revelations to Joseph Smith, char- 
acteristics of, 65-66 

Richards, Franklin S., counsel for 
Lorenzo Snow, 359 

Richards, Willard, 89, 91 

Rienzi, Nicola di, Italian insurgent, 
51 

Rigdon, Sidney, 25, 26, 30, 32, 49, 
67, 76, 78 
alleged part in preparing Book of 
Mormon, 405, 408-417 



Rigdon, Sidney, consistent testi- 
mony of, 39 
denies the Spaulding theory, 417- 

418 
on salvation and government, 78 
stewardship appointed to, 53 
Righteousness accepted by God at 
" face value," 208 
Scriptural meaning of, 207 
and service of God, how related, 
214 
Riley, I. Woodbridge, anti-Mormon 
writer, 40, 42 
epilepsy theory of, 382-392 
" automatic writing " theory of, 

, 427-434 
Roberts, Brigham H., on anthro- 
pomorphic God, 188-189 
on atonement of Christ, 204 
on conferring of Aaronic priest- 
hood, 45 
on fall and atonement, 202-203 
on forgiveness of debts, 86 
on " Gods " and God, 202 
on " image of God " in man, 189 
on "materialistic conception" of 

God, 182-183 
on Mormon prosperity, 145 
on necessity of the fall, 197 
on ordinances and spiritual gifts, 

209 
on salvation for the dead, 227- 

228, 229 
on spiritual gifts, 173 
on the three witnesses, 41 
on translation of Book of Mor- 
mon, 30, 32 
Robinson, Phil, on moral record of 
Mormons, 153 
on Mormon temperance, 152-153 
on plural marriage, effects of, 249, 

259-261, 265 
on United Order in Utah, 127 
Roman Catholic Church, see Catho- 
lic Church 
Romney, George, convicted under 

Edmunds law, 338 
Roosevelt, Ex-President, denies 
anti-Mormon misrepresenta- 
tions, 330 
Royce, Prof. Josiah, on preexistence 
and freedom of will, 194-195 

Saloons in Mormon stakes, 154-156 
Salvation, description of, 195 
degrees of glory in, 232 



460 



INDEX 



Salvation for the dead, 227-231 
Mormon doctrine of, grand, 210 
of the earth, doctrine of, 213-214 
" Salvation by faith," 207 
San Francisco said to have been 

founded by Mormons, 143 
Satan or Lucifer, 193-194 

revolt of, 193-194 
" Scientific charity " discounted by 

Mormonism, 137 
" Scientific sociology " criticized, 124 
Scripture, sufficiency of, doctrine of, 

166-167 
Schweich, Geo. W., quoted, 40, 41 
" Seers " or " interpreters," 23, 30 
Seixas, Doctor, Hebrew instructor, 

56 

Seventy, an early Christian order, 
281 
equal to the Apostles in some mat- 
ters, 282 
the first quorum of, 281-282 
the, organization and duties of 
the, 280-282 

" Sex-consciousness," a perverse ex- 
pression, 243 

Sex equality advocated by Joseph 
Smith, 151 

" Sex problem," a working solution 
of, 242 

Shipp, Dr. Ellis R., on perversions 
of laws against polygamy, 264 

Shoe manufacturing in Utah, 133- 

134 
Silkworm culture begun by Church 

authorities, 132 
Slavery, abolishment of, method for, 

93 
Sloan, R. W., on Mormon persecu- 
tions, 6 
Smith, Adam, mentioned, 12 
Smith, Bathsheba W., on plural 

marriage, 253 
Smith, Hyrum, 47, 59, 91 
Smith, Joseph, 3, 7 
ability of, to make enemies, 99 
account of three witnesses, 37-38 
addressed as Enoch, 50 
advocates equality of sexes, 151 
ancestry of, 383 
attempts to abolish poverty, 112- 

114 
candidate for president, 91-98 
charges against, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16 
compared to Calvin, 83 
courage of, described, 60 



Smith, Joseph, dependence of, on 

Christ, 22 
domination of in Nauvoo, 345, 347 
early maturity of, 49 
early religious experiences of, 17- 

18 
educational work of, 55-56 
epileptic theory of, 38, 381-399 
estimate of, by "a traveler," 97- 

98 
exceptional reputation of, 10 
first arrest of, 47 
first trial of, 47 

founds United Order, 111-112,211 
geniality of, 63-64 
hypnotism theory of, 42 
hypotheses on life of, 44 
idealism of, 95-96 
intemperance charged against, 15 
justice due to him, 103-104 
lawgiver and executive, 68-86 
leadership of, 54 
" mastering force " of, 66 
miraculous powers ascribed to, 61- 

"money-making," 81 

" most powerful influence " of, 12 

as a mystic leader, 65-66 

not an imposter, 230 

on abode of the blessed, 213-214 

on Adam's authority, 197-198 

on capital punishment, 72 

on charity, 82-83 

on duelling, 88 

on God's power to lay down life 
and take it again, 183 

on government of God, 76-78 

on human brotherhood, 86 

on " image of God " in man, 183 

on " materialism," 175 

on the Nauvoo charter, 68 

on peace universal, 94 

on popular government, 94 

on preexistence, 190 

on priesthood, 197-198 

on prison reform, 93, 94 

on physical effects of religious ex- 
periences, 394 

on salvation and incarnation, 195 

on the Seventy, 281 

on slavery, 87-90 

on slavery abolishment, 93, 94 

on the spirit of prophecy, 168-169 

on U. S. Government, powers, etc., 
92-94 

on unity of the Godhead, 185 



INDEX 



461 



Smith, Joseph, on visions and visita- 
tions, 169 

opinions on government, 88 

originates the Church organiza- 
tion, 270 

personality of, 10-12 

personal relations of, 66, 90-104 

"a phenomenon to be explained," 
12 

as prophet, seer and revelator, 44- 
6 7 

prophetic claims of, 15 

" a puzzle," 12 

receives the priesthood, 271 

receives revelation on plural mar- 
riage, 239 

recommends national bank, 93, 94 

restored Christianity, views on, 
167 

his right to fair treatment, 8, 9 

" a second Mohammed," 75-76 

secret of his influence, 52 

sincerity of, evident, 66 

the "sine qua non of the age," 98 

sins confessed by, 21, 22 

slavery views of, 350-351 

solutions of difficulties, 15 

as statesman and reformer, 87-98 

studies Hebrew, 56 

temperance, ordinance on, 74 

as thinker, leader and reformer, 9 

toleration edict by, 73 

" Utopian fallacies " of, 83, 88-89, 
95 

on vice-suppression, 75 

vile charges against, 99 

visions reported by, 15, 17, 23, 24 

a " wanton gospeler," 47, 169-170 
Smith, Joseph F., 40 

on foundation of the United 
Order, 111-112 

on " temporal character "of Mor- 
monism, 212 

on temporal religion, 128 
Smoot, Abraham O., 56 
Snow, Eliza R M organizes branches 
of Y. L. M. I. A, 302 

on plural marriage, 258 

quotation from, 185 
Snow, Lorenzo, case of, argued be- 
fore U. S. Supreme Court, 357- 
366 

conviction of* for unlawful co- 
habitation, 355 

couplet on God and man, 185 

released on habeas corpus, 365 



Smith, Joseph, work of, in develop- 
ing home industries, 133 
Social " problems " due to neglect of 

Christ's teachings, 208, 210-21 1 
solution of, in Gospel, 211 
Social reform theories, faults of, 107 
Socialism and absolutism, 121 
Socialism, primary weakness of, 107, 

121-122 
Sociological experiments, defects of, 

120 
Soul of man, the spirit and body, 

191 
Spalding, Franklin S., on Mormon 

development works, 135, 138 
on " political menace " of Mor- 

monism, 344 
Spaulding authorship theory, 99, 

400-426 
"affidavits" supposed to uphold, 

402, 403, 404, 405 
Spaulding, John, alleged brother of 

Solomon Spaulding, 401, 402 
Spaulding, Solomon, supposed 

author of Book of Mormon, 25, 

26, 30, 32 
date of death of, 400 
religious views of, 426 
Spencer, Herbert, on Socialist fail- 
ures, 121 
Spinoza, Benedict, on "thought" of 

God and man, 177 
Spirit, gifts of the, 168, 171-172, 209 
Spirit, Mormon definition of, 175 
Spirit, Holy, see Holy Spirit 
Spiritism and religious nature of 

man, 399 
Spiritistic messages, etc., 20-21 
Spratling, William P., on epileptic 

symptoms, 386-387, 390-391 
Stake High Council as a court, 294 
Stake presidency, 288, 289-390 
Stake, use of the term, 288-289 
State and national governments, 93- 

94 
" State sovereignty," bad effects of, 

90 
Stewardship, law of, and United 

Order, 111-112 
Sugar manufacture begun under 

Mormon Church authorities, 

131-132 
Sunday Schools, organization of, 

302-307 
enrolled membership of, 307 
graded instruction in, 302 



462 



INDEX 



" Superrational sanction for con- 
duct," 107, 123-124 

Supreme Court, U. S., cases argued 
before, on polygamy, 356-364 



Talbot, J. C, Episcopal bishop, re- 
marks on Mormonism, 350 
Talmage, James E., on endowment, 
216 
on faith and works, 208-209 
on the fall of man, 196-197 
on " individual salvation," 144 
on salvation for the dead, 228- 

229 
on " sons of Perdition," 219 
on spiritual gifts, 172 
Talmage, T. D., anti-Mormon ut- 
terances of, 313-314 
Tammany Hall compared to Mor- 
mon Church, 33J-33 2 
Taylor, John, absurd attacks on, 

314, 315 
address on polygamy by, 339, 340 
conversation with M. Krolokoski, 

Fourierite, 1 19-120 
on atonement of Christ, 204 
on plural marriage, effects of, 
244-245 
Teacher, an appendage to the lower 
priesthood, 274 
duties of a, 274 
Teachers, quorum of, 280 
Telestial glory or " kingdom," 232, 

234-235 
Temperance among Mormons, 151- 

153, 155-157 , 
enforced by revelation, 218 
in Nauvoo ordinance, 74 
Temple built at Nauvoo, 71-72 
" Temple-workers," 229 
Temporal salvation, 1 19-144 
Terrestrial glory or "kingdom," 

233-234 , , 

Theocratic polygamy and demo- 
cratic monogamy, 339-340 
Theocratic rule, truth about, 170 
Theology as God-science, 170-171, 

215-216 
" This-world religion," A, 213 
Three witnesses to Book of Mor- 
mon, testimony of, discussed, 
39-40 
Tithing, law of, 11 5-1 18 
Toleration, edict of, 73 
"Total depravity," 207 



"Transcript" from the plates of 

Mormon, 431-434 
Traveling high council, 284, 293 
Tribune, Salt Lake, quotations 

from, 319-320, 321, 32? 
Trinity, doctrine of the, explained, 

188 
Tucker, Pomeroy, on character of 

Joseph Smith, 13, 14 
on the " mysterious stranger," 416 
Tullidge, Edward, on Mormonism, 

83 
on "women of Mormondom, 253, 
254, 255, 257 

Tuttle, Daniel H., Episcopal bishop, 
circulates anti-Mormon peti- 
tion, 335-336, 355-356 

Twelve apostles (see Apostles) 

United Order, attempt to restore, 
126-127 
founded at Kirtland, O., ill, 21 1 
not abandoned, 125-126 
reasons for failure of, 112 
revelations authorizing, 113-114 
Rules for members of, 112-113 
United States Government com- 
pared to Mormon organization, 
289 
United States Constitution on 

nomination of President, 291 
Universal salvation, meaning of, 

206 
Unlearned people, religion for, 173- 

174 
Urim and Thummim, 23, 26, 30, 33 
Utah, abuse of law by judges in, 
263-264 
crime record in, 157-162 
development of, 129-132 
judicial miscarriages in, 350-369 
oppression in, 5 
Utah Commission, 6 
Utah penitentiary, horrible condi- 
tions alleged in, 370 
total of commitments to, 159-160 
" Utopian Fallacies," 83, 88-89, 95 

Van Buren, Prest. Martin, 69, 91 

Vest, George G, U. S. Senator, op- 
poses Edmunds-Tucker bill, 368 

Visions, how regarded by mankind, 
19-20 

Voting of Mormon Church mem- 
bership, 285-286 



INDEX 



463 



Ward Bishop's court, 293-294 
Ward officers and organizations, 

292 
Washington, George, work of, 226 
Wells, Emmeline B., editorial by, 
261-262 
poem by, 265-266 
protest signed by, 371 
West, Caleb, Gov., signs letter on 
Christian Industrial Home, 374 
speech of, on Christian Indus- 
trial Home, 372 
Westminster Confession quoted, 182 
alleged parallel passages with, 430 
Whitmer, David, 30, 32, 37, 38, 39, 
67 
appointed apostle, 283 
epitaph of, 41 
statement of, in 1887, 41 
testimony of, in 1878, 40 
Whitmer, Peter, 89, 100 
Whitney, Helen Mar, on plural 

marriage, 246 
Whitney, Newell K., 49 

stewardship appointed to, 53 
Whitney, Orson F., on Christian In- 
dustrial Home, 373 
on gathering, 71-72 
on the gathering of Israel, 226- 

227 
on Mormon activities, 125-126 
on plural marriage, advantages 
of, 242 
Widtsoe, Prof. John A., on atone- 
ment, 206 
on Mormon "materialism," 175 
"Wife to her Husband," poem by 

Emmeline B. Wells, 266 
Will, freedom of the, 193-195 
Williams, Frederick G., steward- 
ship appointed to, 53 
Williams, Rev. Levi, 5 
Winter Quarters (Florence), Neb., 

128 
Witnesses, the Three, 37, 38, 39 

Testimony of, 38 
Women, elevation of, 243 
memorial to Congress against 

anti-polygamy laws, 354~355 
Mormon, nobly womanly, 151 
resolution of, against anti-polyg- 
amy laws, 353-354 



Women's Relief Society, 296-297 

founded, 83 
Woodruff, Phoebe C, on plural 

marriage, 254-255, 262 
Woodruff, Wilford, 254 
attends school in Kirtland, 56 
on healing of disease by Joseph 
Smith, 61 
Woods, Rev. Sashiel, 4 
Woolen mills erected by Church au- 
thorities, 132 
"Word of Wisdom," the, 217-218 

Young, Brigham, alleged "Adam- 
God " doctrine, 200-201 
attempts to restore United Order, 

126-127 
founder of Utah, 129, 130 
founds Brigham City, industrial 

center, 133 
founds colleges in Utah, 309 
founds the Y. L. M. I. A., 300 
founds Zion's Cooperative Mer- 
cantile Institution, 133-134 
imprisoned and sued for divorce, 

364-365 
insists on mutual helpfulness, 59 
on atonement of Christ, 204 
on blood atonement, 220, 224 
preeminent pioneer, 143 
promulgates " land law of Israel," 

127-128 
sermon by, quoted, 342-343 
succeeds to power, 58 
"temporal activity" of, 128 
work provided for people by, 149- 
150 
Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement 

Association, 300-302 
Young Ladies' Retrenchment Asso- 
ciation, 302 
Young Men's Mutual Improvement 

Association, 298-300 
Young, Zina D., on plural mar- 
riage, 257-258 

Zane, Charles S., Judge, sentences 
polygamists, 339 

Zion, setting-up of, 115 

Zion's Cooperative Mercantile In- 
stitution, founding of, 133 

Zoroaster, dualistic system of, 194 



